Russell Kane's 'Evil Genius' podcast is coming to television.
Russell Kane
Following the success of the audio show, the 43-year-old comedian has been given the green light to turn it into a TV show.
A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column: "Evil Genius has been a massive hit, with listening figures going through the roof. Producers have decided to start a full prime-time series, which Russell is really excited about. It's very early days but the Beeb is hoping the show will have the same banter and calibre of guests as the podcast."
The BBC series - which is set to air later this year - will see Russell joined by a celebrity panel, where they will discuss cultural icons including the likes of Albert Einstein and Margaret Thatcher.
Meanwhile, Russell previously confessed he was "surprised" that his podcast had done so well.
He said: "This was the surprise hit last year. It went almost all the way to the very top of the podcast charts with no budget and no PR - not just top episode but top podcast - and I thought, 'How can we be above Desert Island Discs?' No money and our sound effects were s***."
Explaining how he came up with the idea, he added: "One of the producers came to me and said, 'Have you got any ideas that you'd like to do for Radio 4 or as a BBC show?' and I said, 'There's this game me and my mates play down the pub when we're hammered. You take someone - say Gandhi - I give a few facts and you have to vote whether you think he's evil or genius.'"
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