Contains strong language.

Evil Genius with Russell Kane
Marilyn Monroe
July 2, 2025
34 minutes
Available for over a year
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Was Marilyn Monroe a genius who beat the system to become a star? Or was she a career driven narcissist who perpetuated the sexism of old Hollywood? And does she have a case to answer for the toxic beauty standards with still live with today. Hannah Platt, Janine Harouni and Tony Hawks join Russell Kane to ask - if we can't handle her at her most evil, then do we deserve her at her most 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.