Evil Genius With Russell Kane review – a deeply bewildering and disturbing piece of TV | Television & radio

Russell Kane’s comedy historical debate show Evil Genius began on BBC Radio 4 in 2018 and is big on BBC Sounds, doing its bit to ensure that all comedians are on a podcast somewhere at all times. Now it’s become a TV series on Sky History. But on telly, it’s harder to get away with the sort of cheap, contrived concept that so many podcasts and radio shows fall back on – and, thanks to its reckless choice of topic, the debut TV episode of Evil Genius already suggests that the idea should have stayed tucked away in listeners’ earphones, out of sight.