Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron. Evil genius. He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it. That's like hiding at your own funeral. Yeah, it's a big, great gig. I'm Russell Kane. Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius. Becoming that rich, I'd say that at some level of genius. It also helps that it's a long time ago, right?

It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream.

Listen to evil genius on BBC Sounds.

This is a download from the BBC.

For more information and our terms of use, go to BBC.co.uk slash radio three.

Hello, if you've been tempted by the 18th century season on BBC 2, BBC 4 and of course here on Radio 3,

the nagging question might just have floated into your mind just when exactly was the 18th century.

Cultural and political movements don't, of course,

fit neatly between years ending in a double zero.

But if not that, what criteria should we resort to?

There are those who say the 18th century really started in 1688

with the glorious revolution,

the installation of the Protestant William of Orange,

and his cousin and wife, Mary, over Mary's father, the ousted Catholic James II.

Even more might claim the century continued until 1815 and the Battle of Waterloo,

or even as late as 1837, when Victoria ascended to the throne.

Well, perhaps a good point to pick out for our purposes

is the moment that begins an unbroken line to the present queen. Had we been around exactly 300

years ago in 1714, we'd have been talking not of baby Prince George, but the accession of

the elector of Hanover, George I. What were the developments of the

next hundred years or so that led to our current constitution, and what other traces did that

period leave for us today? Here in the studio with me to discuss power and the monarchy are

...