Wicked: Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West)

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

BBC

History, Comedy

4.2 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Was she a tyrant in a tall hat — or the original girlboss, defying gravity and public opinion? Was she a product of her environment who experienced prejudice, and even if she was, does that allow her to terrorise Oz? Emmanuel Sonubi, Joe Sutherland and Jess Fostekew join the great and powerful Russell Kane to decide if Elphaba Thropp - The Wicked Witch of the West - is evil or genius.

Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul Smith

The Producer was Gwyn Rhys Davies. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds. An EcoAudio certified production.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Why do some big successful brands go bust?
0:05.0	Toast is back for a new series, taking a look at the decisions that often left investors burnt.
0:11.0	I'm Sean Farrington, a BBC business journalist. I'll be hearing about the hype.
0:15.0	They're going to do the deal that makes them the most money at that point of time.
0:19.0	And I'm picking what went wrong, talking to owners and employees to ask, what can we learn?
0:25.4	It was being undercut by similar rivals. It just couldn't survive.
0:30.3	Toast. Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:34.9	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:38.3	Warning, this episode contains strong language.
0:45.3	Genius!
0:46.3	Genius!
0:47.3	Genius!
0:48.3	Greetings, broomstick enthusiasts, flying monkey fanciers,
0:53.3	and people whose entire personality
0:55.1	is just wearing black. I'm Russell Kane, and this is evil genius.
1:00.1	Much of it. I guess is in black? The podcast where we yank cultural icons off their pedestals
1:05.3	and ask, were they misunderstood trailblazers or as evil as treading on Lego? Today's subject, green skin, pointy hat, broomstick, and a voice like a traffic warden on Kett.
1:16.6	We first met her in the Wizard of Oz where she was a cackling terror with a grudge against glitter and shoes,
1:21.6	but then came the reinvention.
1:23.6	Wicked.
1:24.6	And suddenly the villain had a name, a backstory and a show-stopping solo about flying above it all.
1:31.3	It's Alpha Bethrop, the Wicked Witch of the West.
	...

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