Evil Genius with Russell Kane

Episode

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  Series 13: Stephen Hawking 16.09.2026 39mnt

  Russell Kane gets physical with Dan Tiernan, Ola Labib and Rajiv Karia as they try to work out whether Stephen Hawking was evil, or a genius. His breakthroughs in quantum physics changed our understanding of the universe - but his contribution to files, both scientific and other, have the panel in a bit of a black hole. Additional material: Lorna Reader and Katie Sayer Researcher: Lorna Reader Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 13: Jilly Cooper 09.09.2026 40mnt

  Russell Kane is bullied by Bella Hull, Rosie Holt and Katie Norris, with occasional discussion of Jilly Cooper. Was the sexed-up scribe evil, or a genius? Is it weird to throw an orgy with your brother? Will Russell leave the studio alive? All this and more. Additional material: Christina Riggs and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 13: The Humans are Taking Over 01.09.2026

  Russell Kane returns to reassess history's heroes and villains - and this series, those heroes and villains include Jilly Cooper, Stephen Hawking, Pavarotti, the Marquis de Sade, L Ron Hubbard, Sean Connery, Catherine de Medici, Chuck Berry and Princess Diana... Comedians across the series include Bella Hull, Rosie Holt, Katie Norris, Dan Tiernan, Horatio Gould, Ola Labib, Rajiv Karia, Kate Cheka, Kazeem Jamal, Ian Smith, Hasan Al Habib, Stephen Bailey - and Russell's real life wife, Lindsey Kane. Hosted by Russell Kane Researchers: Miriam O'Byrne, Christina Riggs, Lorna Reader Sound Recordist: Dom Boucher Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Katie SayerEvil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Meerkats 26.08.2026 32mnt

  Joining comedian Russell Kane to decide whether Meerkats are evil or genius are Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum, Dr. Natalie Cooper and and comedian Susie McCabe.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Ants 19.08.2026 33mnt

  Russell Kane asks whether Ants – aka Ant-ony Hopkins - are Conga Line Creeps or Mini-muscle heads. With entomologist Dr. Karim Vahed of Bug Life and comedian Glenn Moore.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Chimpanzees 12.08.2026 33mnt

  Joining comedian Russell Kane to decide whether Chimpanzees are evil or genius are the zoologist and author Jules Howard and comedian Esther Manito.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Orcas 05.08.2026 32mnt

  Russell Kane deep dives Orcas. Marine Menace Masterminds or Deep Sea Superstars? Helping him decide whether Orcas are evil or genius are zoologist Billy Heaney and comedian Lucy Porter.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Rats 29.07.2026 34mnt

  Russell Kane dishes the dirt on our favourite rodent – the rat. Joining him to decide whether Rats are evil or genius are the Natural History Museum’s Merit Researcher Natalie Cooper and comedian Susie McCabe.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Tortoises 22.07.2026 33mnt

  Comedian Russell Kane dishes the dirt on Tortoises. Helping him decide whether Tortoises – aka Shellena Gomez - are evil or genius are zoologist and author Jules Howard and comedian Peter Rethinasamy.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Vultures 15.07.2026 33mnt

  Comedian Russell Kane spills the beans on Vultures (not literally).Helping Russell decide whether Vultures are evil or genius are zoologist and author Lucy Cooke and comedian, writer and actress Desiree Burch.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Wasps 08.07.2026 35mnt

  Comedian Russell Kane dishes the dirt on Wasps. Are Wasps malicious menaces or misunderstood marvels?Helping Russell decide whether Wasps are evil or genius are Professor of Behavioural Ecology at UCL, Seirian Sumner and comedian Lindsey Santoro.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Catherine Beazley & Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: Koalas 01.07.2026 31mnt

  Russell Kane is back with the feral sibling of Evil Genius. We're spilling the beans on Koalas. Are they Adorable Aussie icons or shit-eating nightmares? Helping Russell decide whether Koalas are evil or genius are comedian Felicity Ward and zoologist Lucy Cooke.Written by: Eve Delaney & Ruth Huskisson Additional material by: Angela Channell & Catherine Beazley Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: Ronnie Biggs 17.06.2026 38mnt

  He’s one of the most famous criminals in British history, but was railway enthusiast Ronnie Biggs really just a petty crook who fell on his feet? From his 36 years on the run, to his brief stint as a punk icon, Louise Young, Limahl Germain and Peter Rethinasamy must decide whether the man who put the ‘Great’ into ‘Great Train Robbery’ was evil, or genius.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne, Angela Channell and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: Joan of Arc 10.06.2026 38mnt

  A teenage nerd with anger management issues, Joan of Arc has been immortalised as a figure of resistance across the generations. But was the Maid of Orleans really just a pick-me girl with a dodgy haircut? Ola Labib, Edd Hedges and Lily Phillips must decide whether Joan of Arc was a virgin martyr, or a virgin loser.Additional material: Christina Riggs, Angela Channell and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Gareth Wood Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: Mozart 03.06.2026 37mnt

  He’s the most famous composer there’s ever been; a child prodigy who produced more than 600 works in his short life. But was the ‘miracle of Vienna’ really anything more than just a manchild with a scat fetish? Kate Cheka, Stephen Bailey and Steve Bugeja must decide whether the ‘boy genius’ was actually more ‘boy evil’, via water sports and magic flutes.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
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  Evil Animals, Series 3: The Critters Are Back! 27.05.2026 1mnt

  Evil Animals is back with a whole new menagerie of beasts. Comedian Russell Kane and his panel will debate whether Koalas, Wasps, Tortoises, Vultures, Orcas, Meerkats, Ants, Rats and Chimpanzees are evil or genius.Across the series, Russell will be joined by leading experts including: zoology correspondent Jules Howard, zoologist Lucy Cooke, Professor of Behavioural Ecology Seirian Sumner, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum Natalie Cooper, zoologist Billy Heaney and top entomologist Professor Karim Vahed.Comedian guests include: Lindsey Santoro, Peter Rethinasamy, Lucy Porter, Glenn Moore, Felicity Ward, Desiree Burch, Susie McCabe and Esther Manito.Hosted by Russell Kane Written by Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: Helen of Troy 27.05.2026 37mnt

  She’s the face that launched a thousand ships - but is Helen of Troy anything more than just a pick-me girl with an army of cucks? Lily Phillips, Ola Labib and Edd Hedges consider bestiality, incest, and Power Rangers, to try and assess whether the hottest woman in history leaves them cold.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne, Angela Channell and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Gareth Wood Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: William Shakespeare 20.05.2026 40mnt

  He’s the most famous writer of all time; but before his reign of terror over the GCSE syllabus, William ‘Shag-speare’ was an upcoming playwright with humble beginnings in Stratford-upon-Avon. But was he more evil, or genius? Did he put the ‘knob’ into Two Noble Kinsmen, or just the ‘mid’ into Midsummer Night’s Dream? It’s up to Stephen Bailey, Kate Cheka and Steve Bugeja to decide whether the Bard of Avon was a bisexual icon, or a bit of a bastard.Additional material: Christina Riggs and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: Nancy Reagan 13.05.2026 37mnt

  A socialite in shoulder pads or the real power behind the throne? It’s up to Limahl Germain, Louise Young and Peter Rethinasamy to decide if Nancy Reagan was a typical tradwife or a Machiavellian manipulator, via goths, psychics, and bananas in the bedroomAdditional material: Miriam O’Byrne, Angela Channell and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
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  Series 12: F. Scott Fitzgerald 06.05.2026 37mnt

  The poster boy for yearning, F. Scott Fitzgerald came to epitomise the American dream. But is the author of The Great Gatsby really so great after all? Pierre Novellie, Rachel Fairburn and Slim dive between the covers and find some red flags in the roaring twenties.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.