PLAY PODCASTS
Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods

Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods

109 episodes — Page 1 of 3

Leo Major: The Canadian Sniper Who Captured 93 Germans on His Own

Aug 26, 202649 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Worst dinner guests in history

Aug 23, 202615 min

Joan of Arc: The Saint Who Led an Army at 17

Aug 19, 202658 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Why All Guard Dogs Are German Soldiers

Aug 16, 202615 min

"The Worst Woman Who Ever Lived?" Elizabeth Báthory

Aug 12, 202644 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: A Beach Bar Brawl and a Christmas Plumber

Aug 9, 202617 min

Lachhiman Gurung: The Gurkha Who Took On 200 Men Alone

Aug 5, 202646 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: A Train Thief and a Secret Millionaire

Aug 2, 202613 min

Casanova: The World’s Greatest Lover Was a Prison-Breaking Spy

Jul 29, 202644 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Drunken Sailors, Top Trumps & Plum Schnapps

Jul 26, 202616 min

Neil Armstrong: What He Actually Said on the Moon

Jul 22, 202654 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Himalayan Cowboys & South African in Disguise

Jul 19, 202616 min

Butch Cassidy: He Blew Up a Bridge & Vanished Forever

Jul 15, 202648 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: The Capsize King & Extraordinary Bastards

Jul 12, 202614 min

She Stole a Dead Nun & Set a Convent on Fire: Julie D'Aubigny

Jul 8, 202647 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: A blunderbuss, a bomb & Diamond White Cider

Jul 5, 202613 min

Diego Maradona: Football God, Cheat & the Greatest Party Ever Thrown in a Prison

Jul 1, 202643 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Dead Sheep, Blitz Heroines & Operation Village Green

Jun 28, 202618 min

William Shakespeare: 1,700 Words, 6 Signatures & 7 Missing Years

Jun 24, 202651 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Mad Grandads, Fast Cars and Family Legends

Jun 21, 202619 min

The First Man Ever to be Awarded the Victoria Cross Twice: Arthur Martin-Leake

Jun 17, 202649 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Chased Down the Beach by a German Plane

Jun 14, 202614 min

Napoleon's Comeback That Should Never Have Happened: Bonaparte - Part 2

Jun 10, 202645 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: The Great Made-Up Military Men Special

Jun 7, 202611 min

Napoleon Wasn’t Short, Wasn’t French… So What ELSE Was A Lie?! - Napoleon Bonaparte: Part 1

Jun 3, 202641 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Why Did Police Keep Stopping This Car?

May 31, 202613 min

The Real Story Behind the Spartan 300: Leonidas I

May 27, 202648 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Don’t Mess With the Pharaohs

May 24, 202622 min

Virginia Hall: The Heroic WW2 Spy With a Wooden Leg

May 20, 202637 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: British Spy Names Gone Too Far

May 17, 202616 min

The British Officer Who ATTACKED A TANK With An Umbrella?! - Digby Tatham-Warter

May 13, 202640 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Surviving an Amsterdam Stag Do

May 10, 202612 min

Ragnar Lothbrok: Did the Greatest Viking Ever Really Exist?

May 6, 202641 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: His Grandad gave him a live grenade??

May 3, 202615 min

Attila The Hun - What do we actually know?

Apr 29, 202648 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: The Pub Puma & more great escapes!

Apr 26, 202614 min

George Best: The Superstar Beyond the Pitch

Apr 22, 202644 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Bulldogs vs Wedding Cakes & the Magaluf buzz cut

Apr 19, 202615 min

The WW2 Spy Decorated by Both Sides - Juan Pujol Garcia (GARBO)

Apr 15, 202647 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Hearses, Half Marathons and Benidorm Terror

bonusE

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The Extra Legendary Bit is the bonus episode where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods leave the history books behind and dive into the gloriously unhinged stories sent in by you, the listeners.In this week’s bonus episode, the lads hear about a deeply alarming encounter with a stripper in Benidorm wielding a baseball bat, a funeral hearse disastrously parked outside a wedding venue, and a woman who somehow won a half marathon after coming out of a toilet the wrong way.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:Benidorm Bat Trouble – One listener comes face to face with a stripper in Benidorm… who is holding a baseball bat. Holiday memories don’t get much more terrifying than that.The Wedding Hearse Horror – A man accidentally parks a funeral hearse outside a wedding venue, creating exactly the wrong sort of first impression.The Toilet Detour Champion – One woman takes a wrong turn coming out of a toilet during a half marathon… and somehow ends up winning the whole thing.Got a story that can top this week’s madness? 📩 Send it to [email protected] and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or just brilliantly bonkers.📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Apr 9, 202613 min

S1 Ep 58Albert Einstein: The biggest brain in the world?

E

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods uncover the wildest stories in history, and meet the extraordinary people who changed the world forever.In this episode, the lads take on perhaps the most famous genius of them all: Albert Einstein, the theoretical physicist who transformed our understanding of time, space, gravity and reality itself.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:From School Struggles to Scientific Stardom – Einstein didn’t fit the mould at school, struggled to find work, and began his career in a patent office before changing physics forever.The Miracle Year – Johnny and Gav dive into the astonishing run of ideas that made 1905 one of the most important years in scientific history.Relativity, Explained Properly – Including Einstein’s brilliantly simple way of describing relativity: one hot stove, one pretty girl, and a theory that changed the world.The Man Behind the Genius – From his eccentric habits and global fame to the bizarre story of what happened to his brain after he died.Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to [email protected]📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Apr 6, 202641 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Runaways, Red Faces and the Family Computer

bonusE

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The Extra Legendary Bit is the bonus episode where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods leave the history books behind and rummage through the listener inbox for stories that are brave, bizarre and occasionally far too revealing.In this week’s bonus episode, the lads put out a call for your tales of running away from home, and also hear one unforgettable story involving a teenager, the family computer, and the worst possible person walking in at the worst possible moment.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:Runaway Legends Wanted – Johnny and Gav ask listeners to send in their stories of running away from home, whether heroic, hopeless or over before teatime.Caught Red-Handed – One listener shares the painfully compromising tale of a teenager discovered with his trousers round his ankles in front of the family computer… by his female cousin.Listener Legends – Yet more proof that your real-life stories are every bit as chaotic as anything the lads could dream up.Got a story that can top this week’s madness? 📩 Send it to [email protected] and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or just brilliantly bonkers.📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Apr 2, 202614 min

S1 Ep 57Lord Byron: Scandal, Poetry and a Pet Bear

E

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends!This week, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods take on one of the wildest lives in literary history: Lord Byron.Poet. Aristocrat. Scandal magnet. International heartbreaker. From a chaotic childhood and a pet bear at Cambridge to sexual scandal, literary superstardom and his final heroic turn in the Greek War of Independence, Byron’s life was every bit as outrageous as his legend suggests.Johnny and Gav trace the rise of the original rock star poet through duels, drama, debt, debauchery and genius… and ask whether Byron was simply a brilliant writer with a taste for excess, or one of the most gloriously unhinged figures Britain ever produced.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🐻 The Bear at Cambridge – Why Byron responded to university rules by getting himself a pet bear🔥 Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know – Affairs, scandal and the celebrity chaos that made him infamous📚 Poetry and Stardom – How Byron became the literary superstar of his age almost overnight🧛 Ghost Stories by the Lake – The drunken weekend that helped give the world Frankenstein and Dracula⚔️ Death in Greece – How Byron’s final act turned him from scandalous poet into national heroBloomin’ Legend or Not?Was Lord Byron a self-destructive aristocrat with a gift for causing chaos…or the ultimate romantic icon, a poet, showman and freedom-fighting legend all rolled into one?Johnny and Gav deliver the verdict.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin’ Legends YouTube channel!Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends📩 Got a legendary story we should cover? Email us at [email protected]👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends.Listen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 30, 202654 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Aussie Dom, The flying zip wire & Motorcycle baby names

bonusE

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The Extra Legendary Bit is the bonus episode where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods step away from the history books and dive headfirst into the wildest stories sent in by you, the listeners.In this bonus episode, the lads uncover yet more proof that the Bloomin’ Legends audience may be living far more dangerously than anyone on the main feed.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:Portsmouth Boat Race Bedlam – A group of blokes bribe a boat captain to take them out into rough seas for a better view of a boat race. An appalling idea, and naturally, a brilliant story.The Zip Wire Incident – One listener shares the tale of a zip wire installation that ended very badly indeed.Named After a Motorbike – We hear from a listener whose name comes from a vintage motorcycle, because apparently even birth certificates can be legendary.Got a story that can top this week’s madness? 📩 Send it to [email protected] and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or just brilliantly bonkers.📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 26, 202611 min

S1 Ep 56Alexander the Great: Part 2 - Power, Paranoia & The Price of Greatness

E

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends!This week, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods return to the ancient world for Part 2 of the astonishing story of Alexander the Great.If Part 1 was the rise, Part 2 is the full-blown legend: Persia falls, Babylon opens its gates, elephants thunder onto the battlefield, and Alexander pushes all the way to India in a bid to conquer everything the known world can throw at him.Johnny and Gav follow the young king as brilliance turns to obsession, victory shades into paranoia, and the cost of greatness starts to catch up with the man who seemed unstoppable.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🐘 War Elephants & World Conquest – Alexander takes on Persia’s vast empire and keeps pushing east🔥 The Fall of Persia – Babylon, Susa and Persepolis as the old superpower collapses⚔️ Blood, Betrayal & Empire – Rivals crushed, cities renamed and old allies turning into threats👑 Power and Paranoia – As Alexander grows more god-like, the darker side of greatness emerges🗺️ To India and Beyond – How far he got, what it cost, and why even his own men finally said enoughBloomin’ Legend or Not?Was Alexander the Great the ultimate world conqueror…or a once-in-history force of will whose genius came with a ruinous price?Johnny and Gav head into the heart of empire and deliver the verdict.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin’ Legends YouTube channel!Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends📩 Got a legendary story we should cover?Email us at [email protected]👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends.Listen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 23, 202646 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: Fiery Trousers, bunking school & the hand written letter!

bonusE

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods uncover the wildest stories in history… and occasionally discover that the listener inbox is a deeply unsafe place.In this bonus episode, the lads dive into your stories, and things unravel almost immediately.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:The Trousers-on-Fire Hero – One listener tells the unbelievable tale of a kid whose mate accidentally set his trousers on fire… then somehow got an award for it. The catch? Neither of them can ever properly talk about it, because they were both skiving off school.A Letter from Evesham – Bloomin’ Legends receives its first ever handwritten letter, sent in by an adoring fan from Evesham. A landmark moment for the podcast, and for postmen everywhere.Listener Legends – More proof that your stories are every bit as chaotic, absurd and gloriously unhinged as we hoped.Got a story that can top this week’s madness? 📩 Send it to [email protected] and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or just brilliantly bonkers.📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 19, 202613 min

S1 Ep 55Alexander the Great: Part 1 - The Start of Something Massive

E

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends!This week, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods head back to the ancient world to take on one of history’s biggest names: Alexander the Great.In Part 1, Alexander goes from prince of Macedon to the young ruler terrifying the known world. Taming a wild horse, studying under Aristotle, taking the throne at just 20, and launching a brutal, brilliant campaign against Persia.Johnny and Gav trace the rise of the boy king through myth, murder and battlefield genius, and ask whether Alexander was simply a military prodigy… or a man so outrageously successful his own age could only explain him as divine.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🐎 The Horse Tamer – The legend of Bucephalus and the boy who could master anything👑 King at 20 – Assassination, succession and Alexander’s bloody grip on power⚔️ War with Persia – How the young Macedonian took the fight to history’s superpower🏛️ From Greece to Egypt – Revolts crushed, empires shaken and Alexandria founded🗺️ The Making of a Myth – Gods, omens and the first steps of a world conquerorBloomin’ Legend or Not?Was Alexander the Great a once-in-history military genius…or the ultimate ancient PR masterpiece, with just enough brilliance to make the myth stick?Johnny and Gav saddle up and deliver the verdict.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin’ Legends YouTube channel!Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends📩 Got a legendary story we should cover?Email us at [email protected]👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends.Listen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 16, 202643 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: The Great Maldives Lock-In & East London's Bonnie & Clyde

bonusE

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods uncover the wildest stories in history… and occasionally discover that the listener inbox is a deeply unsafe place.In this bonus episode, the lads dive into your stories, and things escalate almost immediately.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:Maldives, But Make It Permanent – A dream trip turns into an accidental over-a-month stay when Covid shuts the world down.The East End’s Bonnie & Clyde – One listener’s grandparents, legendary for always being up to something (and never in a normal way).Listener Legends – More proof that real life remains far more unhinged than anything we could script.Got a story that can top this week’s madness?📩 Send it to [email protected] and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or just brilliantly bonkers.📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends Listen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 12, 202613 min

S1 Ep 54The Gestapos most wanted Woman? Nancy Wake’s Story

E

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends!This week, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods mark the show’s one-year anniversary by diving into one of WWII’s most extraordinary true stories: Nancy Wake, the French Resistance agent the Gestapo nicknamed “The White Mouse”.Born in New Zealand and forged by what she witnessed in pre-war Europe, Nancy went from journalist to undercover operator, running escape lines, evading capture, and later training with the SOE before parachuting back into occupied France to help sabotage Nazi operations in the run-up to D-Day.Johnny and Gav follow Nancy’s jaw-dropping path through espionage, courage and chaos, and ask how one person could do so much… and still stay one step ahead.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🐭 The White Mouse – How Nancy became the Gestapo’s most wanted woman in France🪂 Back Into Hell – SOE training and parachuting into occupied territory🚲 The 500km Ride – The mission-saving cycle journey to restore comms💣 Frenzy of Disruption – Sabotage, ambushes, rail lines and bridges ahead of D-Day🏅 Medals & Legacy – The most decorated servicewoman of WWII?Bloomin’ Legend or Not?Was Nancy Wake the ultimate Resistance icon… or the kind of once-in-a-generation force of nature history can barely contain? Johnny and Gav raise a glass and deliver the verdict.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin’ Legends YouTube channel!Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends📩 Got a legendary story we should cover?Email us at [email protected]👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends.Listen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 9, 202645 min

The Extra Legendary Bit: The Snotty Saviour & Bader's G Force Legs

bonusE

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods uncover the wildest stories in history… and occasionally realise the listener inbox should come with a risk assessment.In this episode, the lads jump between heroics, sheer chaos, and one of the most effective firefighting techniques ever attempted.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:💦 The Spitfire Brigade – A group of kids try to put out a fire by spitting on it. Yes, really.✈️ Douglas Bader – How losing both his legs didn’t end a flying career… and may have made him an even better pilot.🐷 The Butcher Stag Do – A night out that went all-in on the dress code: entirely butchers.Got a story that can top this week’s madness?Send it to [email protected] and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or just brilliantly bonkers.Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.comThis is a Global Original Podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Mar 5, 202610 min