Documentary / Crime
For centuries, brilliant minds have changed and shaped the world. But when genius is used for evil, the results are some of the most twisted, inventive, and outrageous crimes in history.


For centuries, brilliant minds have changed and shaped the world. But when genius is used for evil, the results are some of the most twisted, inventive, and outrageous crimes in history. From bank heists and the take-down of a major airport, to breaking into a royal palace, these cold-blooded masterminds were born to out-smart the law.

From drug trafficking, to one of the biggest bank heists in history, and even a mining scam that rocks Wall Street, these scheming masterminds all one thing in common…they committed their crimes underground.

It takes an evil mastermind to pull off a million – sometimes even a billion – dollar swindle. From Bernie Madoff’s classic Ponzi scheme on Wall Street, to pop-music mogul Lou Pearlman, or a man with an extraordinary palate taking the vintage wine world by storm, to the master of doping and deception Lance Armstrong – scam artists are hustling in every sphere of modern life.

Criminals always have to hide their illicit goods, but these devious crooks take it to the next level. From ruthless drug traffickers like Pablo Escobar and Frank Lucas to a New York slick scam artist, these cold-blooded masterminds have one thing in common: they make all traces of their crimes disappear.

It takes a devious mind to engineer an impossible escape. Whether it’s breaking out of a maximum security prison or evading a global manhunt, these brilliant criminals are experts at epic getaways.

These are the most evil architects of crime who designed perfect schemes, outsmarting anyone who dared to get in their way. A mastermind of government corruption, a team of college con artists, a psychopathic serial-killer, and one of the world’s most cutting-edge drug lords – each devise elaborate plots to take over the world.

Whether it’s overcoming the sophisticated multi-layered security of a diamond vault, using the deep web to take drug dealing into the 21st century, training with high tech gear to beat a casino, or most nefarious of all, employing software tricks to spread terrorism around the world – these master criminals are on the cutting edge of technology.

A bomb is an anonymous killer that in the hands of a criminal mastermind can be used to distract, murder, or even make millions. From a serial killer with a twisted worldview to a con man with a sinister scam – when an Evil Genius uses a bomb the damage is nothing short of catastrophic.

Narrator (voice)

Driven was a motoring television programme launched by Channel 4 in 1998 as a rival to the successful and long-running BBC series Top Gear. The style was similar to its rival, but with additional features such as the "Driven 100", a road test of three cars in the same class, where each car would be given marks for qualities such as practicality, desirability and cost of ownership. The car with the highest total score would be the winner. The programme launched with the concept that the presenters should interact with each other rather than present items on their own, as was then the case on Top Gear. The first series also featured a "headquarters", a racing team truck, set on a former air force base at which cars were put through their paces. These concepts resurfaced in the reborn Top Gear soon after.

Houston Knights is an American crime drama set in Houston, Texas. The show ran on CBS from 1987 to 1988 and had 31 episodes. The core of the show was the partnership between two very different cops from two different cultures. Chicago cop Joey LaFiamma, played by Michael Paré, is transferred to Houston after he kills a mobster from a powerful Mafia family and a contract is put out on him. Once there, he is partnered with Levon Lundy, played by Michael Beck, the grandson of a Texas Ranger. Although as different as night and day, and after a rocky beginning they form a successful partnership and become friends. This is aided to a certain extent by an event where a hitman from Chicago who holds the contract to shoot La Fiamma arrives in Houston and is ultimately killed by Lundy. During the series, it is revealed that both La Fiamma and Lundy have their own personal demons; La Fiamma's Chicago police partner had been killed when he went ahead while La Fiamma had waited for backup to arrive. Lundy's wife had been killed by an explosion that was intended to kill him.