Evil Genius with Russell Kane

Latest Episodes:

Evil Animals, Series 1: Hamsters Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

Join comedian Russell Kane as he gets to the bottom of hamsters (not that bottom). Are they cute little chaos merchants or agents of psychological warfare and cannibalism?

Helping Russell decide whether hamsters are misunderstood marvels or pint-sized monsters are comedian Laura Smyth and zoologist and hamster expert Jules Howard.

Additional material by: Eve Delaney & Christina Riggs

Researcher: Catherine Beazley

Sound Recordist: Luke Nagy

Digital Editor: Jerry Peal

Executive Producer: Paul Smith

Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Liz Tuohy

Producer: Simon Nicholls

Evil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Evil Animals, Series 1: Trailer Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

Join comedian Russell Kane for Evil Animals. The feral sibling of Evil Genius.

Russell is joined by special guests: comedian Laura Smyth, zoologist Jules Howard, comedian Ola Labib and Principal Curator of Diptera at the Natural History Museum, Erica McAlister.

Hosted by Russell Kane Additional material by: Eve Delaney & Christina Riggs Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Luke Nagy Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Liz Tuohy Producer: Simon Nicholls

Evil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Series 10: Jackie Kennedy Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

Was Jackie Kennedy a stoic American icon? Or the greatest airbrusher of 20th Century history? Did she use her limited power in inventive ways to leave an impression, or did she wrestle to stay in the spotlight for personal gain? Amy Matthews, Ray Badran and Rajiv Karia are tasked with deciding whether Jackie Kennedy is evil or genius?

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Series 10: Nostradamus Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

Did he predict he'd be a subject on Evil Genius? Did he predict anything at all? Nostradamus is put under the microscope in this week's episode. Was he a mystic with an ability to peer into the future? Or a charlatan who used vague and cryptic language to hedge his bets? Richard Herring, Ola Labib and Pierre Novellie join Russell Kane to find out whether Michel De Nostredame was evil or genius.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Series 10: Catherine The Great Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

Catherine the Great - was she as magnificent as her moniker suggests? Was she a reforming pioneer of a burgeoning empire, or an expansionist who reneged on promises to free the serfs? A radical empowerer of women, or a husband murderer with a proclivity for the equine? Rajiv Karia, Amy Matthews and Ray Badran join Russell Kane in the Russian palace of Evil Genius to find out.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Series 10: Florence Nightingale Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

Was Florence Nightingale a nursing pioneer, or a terror with a spreadsheet? Could the mother of modern nursing really have been a glorified doctor's receptionist from hell? Did her colonial attitudes towards race, and her perpetuation of the idea of 'women's jobs' hold us back as much as her healthcare revolution took us forward? Richard Herring, Ola Labib and Pierre Novellie join Russell Kane as they head to the frontline and find out.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Series 10: Marilyn Monroe Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Was Marilyn Monroe a genius who beat the system to become a star? Or was she a career driven narcissist who perpetuated the sexism of old Hollywood? And does she have a case to answer for the toxic beauty standards with still live with today. Hannah Platt, Janine Harouni and Tony Hawks join Russell Kane to ask - if we can't handle her at her most evil, then do we deserve her at her most genius?.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Series 10: Father of Bodybuilding, Joe Weider Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

You might not have heard of Joe Weider, but he was the man who invented modern bodybuilding. Formalised training, published magazines, birthed massive international competitions, and unearthed a megastar in Arnold Schwarzenegger. But was he a genius who built himself up from nothing to bring health and fitness mainstream? Or a charlatan who unleashed toxic masculinity on the world, who encouraged steroid use, and ripped people off on his way to making his fortunes? Jess Fostekew, Joe Sutherland and Emmanuel Sonubi join Russell Kane to flex their intellectual muscles to decide, is Joe Weider evil or Genius?

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds. An EcoAudio certified production.

Series 10: Robert Maxwell Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Was Robert Maxwell the defiant outsider who came from nothing to join Britain's elite? Or was he a bullying maniac whose power went unchecked? Was he a pioneer in business and politics who was ahead of his time? Or was he a fraud who nicked his employees pensions? And, did the man whose family tragically died in the holocaust actually commit a war crime himself? Tony Hawks, Janine Harouni and Hannah Platt join Russell Kane in the boardroom of Evil Genius to find out.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds. An EcoAudio certified production.

Series 10: Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West) Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Was she a tyrant in a tall hat — or the original girlboss, defying gravity and public opinion? Was she a product of her environment who experienced prejudice, and even if she was, does that allow her to terrorise Oz? Emmanuel Sonubi, Joe Sutherland and Jess Fostekew join the great and powerful Russell Kane to decide if Elphaba Thropp - The Wicked Witch of the West - is evil or genius.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds. An EcoAudio certified production.