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.

On tonight's programme, a rather unusual Richard Dawkins in extended interview on his colonial family,

on why the Bible matters so much to him and how his recent tweets on Islam have been misunderstood. Also, we have a first

night review of the opening play of the new regime at the Royal Court Theatre. Is the

ritual slaughter of George Mastromus worthy of a theatre where Shaw and Brecht premiered? Well,

we'll find out. And the ghostly presences of J.G. Ballard and Robert Smithson, the land artist,

haunt a new film by Tacitadine.

When she and I talk, Elygiac is fine, nostalgic not.

But first, Richard Dawkins, recently named one of the world's outstanding thinkers in a prospect magazine poll.

It's hard to know whether he's most admired, where he is admired, for his consistent attacks on what he calls the God delusion, or for his scientific work,

especially the selfish gene. Published in 1976, Richard Dawkins's first book

argued that natural selection works at the level of the gene. Genes use human bodies as

vehicles for their own survival and dispose of them of us when we've served our purpose.

By now we're used to his books defending science for its

clarity and reason and damning religion for its irrationality, but I wouldn't have thought he was a

man for a memoir. Well, I was wrong. An appetite for wonder the making of a scientist is the first

of a projected two volumes.

The first takes us from his childhood in Africa through public schools to his Oxford years,

in effect ending with the writing and publication of the selfish gene.

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