

Evil Genius with Russell Kane
BBC Sounds
It’s good, bad, ugly - and very very funny. Changing the way we see heroes and villains in history.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 8, 2025 • 31min
Evil Animals - Snakes
Snakes. Are they slithering wronguns or super sleek legends?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist Yussef Rafik and comedian Felicity Ward as they deep-dive snakes, looking specifically at the viper to decide if they are Evil or Genius.Additional material by: Eve Delaney, Christina Riggs and Catherine Beazley.Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Sound Recordist: Luke Nagy
Digital Editor: Jerry Peal
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy
Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Oct 1, 2025 • 33min
Evil Animals - Cats
Domestic cats. They divide opinion. But are they really just gorgeous fluffballs or the devil incarnate?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist, vet & author Jess French and comedian Jess Fostekew as they deep-dive cats.Additional material by: Eve Delaney, Christina Riggs and Catherine Beazley.
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Sound Recordist: Luke Nagy
Digital Editor: Jerry Peal
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy
Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Sep 24, 2025 • 32min
Evil Animals - Bottlenose Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins. Smiley acrobatic boffins or nature’s smug psychopaths? Evil or Genius?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist Billy Heaney and comedian Lindsey Santoro as they deep-dive Bottlenose Dolphins.Additional material by: Eve Delaney & Christina Riggs
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Recording Engineer: Gareth Wood
Digital Editor: Jerry Peal
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy
Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Sep 17, 2025 • 38min
Evil Animals - Hamsters
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 RiggsResearcher: Catherine BeazleySound Recordist: Luke NagyDigital Editor: Jerry PealExecutive Producer: Paul SmithProduction Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Liz TuohyProducer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Aug 13, 2025 • 2min
Welcome to Evil Animals...
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 NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.

Jul 30, 2025 • 44min
Jackie Kennedy
Rajiv Karia, an observational comedian, joins the lively discussion about Jackie Kennedy's complex legacy. They humorously debate whether she was a stoic icon or a master airbrusher of history. The conversation dives into her balancing act of image management amid a turbulent marriage and her significant influence on JFK’s political life. Karia and the panel explore her resilience through personal challenges, her impactful fashion sense, and her adept reinvention after loss, ultimately pondering if she was a genius in navigating societal expectations.

Jul 23, 2025 • 41min
Nostradamus
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 SmithThe Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Jul 16, 2025 • 37min
Catherine The Great
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 SmithThe Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Jul 9, 2025 • 32min
Florence Nightingale
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 SmithThe Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Jul 2, 2025 • 34min
Marilyn Monroe
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 SmithThe Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.