Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods

Global Originals

Join mates Johnny Vaughan and Gavin Woods as they uncover the jaw-dropping stories of history’s boldest icons and unsung heroes. From outrageous escapades to ingenious breakthroughs, every episode is packed with legendary tales you didn’t learn in school (but wish you had). With sharp wit and a shared sense of curiosity, Johnny and Gav turn history into a rollercoaster of laughs and surprises. Whether it’s daring escapes, bizarre inventions, or the quirky habits of history’s game-changers, you’ll be hooked on their unique take on the past. Perfect for history buffs, comedy lovers, and anyone who enjoys a cracking good story, Bloomin’ Legends is your new favourite podcast for unforgettable adventures through time. Get in touch with @BloominLegends on tik tok & Instagram. For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer, Chris Janes Commissioning Editor, Chris Lander

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Timothy Dexter: The Eccentric Millionaire Who Outsmarted Everyone by Accident

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods dive into the bizarre, hilarious and sometimes brilliant life of Timothy Dexter - the self-styled “Lord” from Massachusetts who somehow became rich through a series of “bad” business ideas that all paid off. From selling coal where no one needed it to writing one of history’s strangest books without punctuation, Dexter turned being underestimated into an art form. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:💸 From Pauper to Millionaire – How a barely educated tanner’s apprentice became America’s most accidental tycoon 🚢 The Bad Ideas That Worked – Why his coal, whalebone, and warming pan schemes made him a fortune 📚 The World’s Weirdest Book – The punctuation-free masterpiece he forced everyone to read 🏰 Living Like a Lord – The statues, the “death” party, and his reputation as America’s original oddball Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Timothy Dexter a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just history’s luckiest (and weirdest) businessman? 🎥 Watch the full episode on the Bloomin Legends YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

    44 min

  2. 7 SEPT

    Bartholomew Roberts: The World's Most Successful Pirate

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods set sail with Bartholomew Roberts, better known as Black Bart, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age. With over 400 ships captured, he outdid even the infamous Blackbeard, rewrote the pirate code, and dressed like a gentleman while striking terror across the Atlantic. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🏴‍☠️ From Reluctant Sailor to Ruthless Pirate – How Bart stumbled into piracy and never looked back ⚓ The Pirate King of the Atlantic – His unbelievable streak of raids and captures 📜 The Pirate Code – The rules that kept his crew loyal (and terrified) 💀 The Final Battle – How Black Bart met his fate and became a legend of the seas Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Bartholomew Roberts a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just history’s flashiest outlaw? 🎥 Watch the full episode on the Bloomin Legends YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    43 min

  3. 31 AUG

    Marie Dorion: The Mother of the Frontier

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods trek into the brutal frontier life of Marie Dorion, the fearless Indigenous woman who joined an expedition across the American wilderness, battled freezing winters, endured devastating loss, and still came out a survivor. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🌲 Life on the Edge – What it meant to be a woman and mother on a deadly frontier journey ❄️ Surviving the Wilderness – How Marie fought starvation, freezing cold, and wild terrain ⚔️ Caught in the Crossfire – The violence and danger that stalked her expedition 🔥 A Legacy of Resilience – Why her story still inspires today as one of the Wild West’s toughest survivors Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Marie Dorion a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just a forgotten name in America’s frontier history? 🎥 Watch the full episode on the Bloomin Legends YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    45 min

  4. 24 AUG

    Legs Diamond: The Gangster Who Couldn’t Be Killed

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods dive into the bullet-riddled life of Legs Diamond, the Prohibition-era gangster who survived so many assassination attempts that he became known as the man who couldn’t be killed. From bootlegging and bank jobs to his tangled love life and explosive feuds, this is a gangster story for the ages. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:💰 From Street Punk to Crime Boss – How Legs climbed the underworld ladder in New York 🔫 The Nine Lives of Legs – The wildest shootouts and miraculous escapes you’ve ever heard 🍸 Prohibition Power Plays – Booze, speakeasies, and betrayal in the Roaring Twenties ⚰️ The Final Hit – How his luck finally ran out… or did it? Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Legs Diamond a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just the slipperiest crook in American history? 🎥 Watch the full episode on the Bloomin Legends YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    35 min

  5. 17 AUG

    Spartacus: The Gladiator Who Took on Rome and Led the Biggest Slave Revolt in History

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods unleash the blood-and-sand saga of Spartacus, the enslaved Thracian who fought his way out of the gladiator arena, built an army of tens of thousands of rebels, and sent shockwaves through the Roman Empire. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:⚔️ From Slave to Soldier – How Spartacus went from captured Thracian to feared gladiator 🏹 The Great Escape – The daring breakout from the gladiator school at Capua with Kitchen tools 🔥 Rome in Panic – How Spartacus outwitted entire Roman legions again and again ⚰️ The Final Stand – The brutal end that turned him into an eternal symbol of resistance Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Spartacus a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just the luckiest gladiator in history? 🎥 Watch the full episode on Radio X’s YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    45 min

  6. 10 AUG

    Charles Upham: The Schoolteacher with Two Victoria Crosses and Escaped the Nazis

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods dive into the jaw-dropping life of Charles Upham, the quiet New Zealand schoolteacher who became the only combat soldier to win the Victoria Cross twice. He took on tanks, leapt walls with a broken arm, and escaped German POW camps like it was a hobby. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🎖️ Double VC Madness – Why Upham’s bravery was so outrageous, they thought it was a typo 💥 One-Man Wrecking Machine – Grenades, ambushes, and battlefield miracles 🪖 Prison Breaks Galore – How he gave the Nazis hell in captivity 🇳🇿 The Most Reluctant Hero – Why he hated fame but became a national legend Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Charles Upham a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just a war machine with manners? 🎥 Watch the full episode on the Bloomin Legends YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    42 min

  7. 3 AUG

    Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance Genius

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods explore the wildly inventive, mind-blowingly brilliant, and just a bit bizarre life of Leonardo da Vinci, the illegitimate son of a notary who went on to define the Renaissance. He painted the world’s most famous smile, dissected corpses for fun, and sketched helicopters 500 years before they existed. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:🎨 Beyond the Mona Lisa – Why da Vinci’s notebooks were more explosive than his paintings 🧠 The Original Multi-Hyphenate – Artist, engineer, scientist, anatomist, dreamer, and occasional procrastinator 🚁 Future Tech in the 1400s – Flying machines, robots, and war inventions way ahead of their time 🕵️‍♂️ Secret Symbols & Smirks – What’s really going on in his most famous works? Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Leonardo da Vinci a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just an eccentric with a sketchbook and a good PR team? 🎥 Watch the full episode on the Bloomin Legends YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    45 min

  8. 27 JUL

    Lambert Simnel: The 10-Year-Old Con Artist Who Nearly Stole the English Throne

    Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history! In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods unravel the absurd tale of Lambert Simnel, a pint-sized pretender who was plucked from obscurity and paraded across Europe as a royal heir. Backed by foreign armies and Yorkist plotters, this kitchen boy turned fake prince came this close to becoming King of England. What You’ll Hear in This Episode:👑 A Kid with a Crown – How a 10-year-old was coached to impersonate royalty ⚔️ Rebellion and Royal Deception – The full bonkers story of the Battle of Stoke Field 🫅 Henry VII’s Shock Response – Why the real king didn’t execute this tiny traitor 🥧 From Throne to Kitchen – How Simnel went from fake monarch to royal banquet servant Bloomin’ Legend or Not?At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Lambert Simnel a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just a puppet in history’s weirdest royal scam? 🎥 Watch the full episode on Radio X’s YouTube channel! Join the Conversation!📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 📩 Got your own legendary story? Whether epic, absurd, or just plain bonkers, send it to bloominlegends@global.com and we’ll decide if it’s Bloomin’ Legendary or not! 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to help more people discover Bloomin’ Legends! Listen now to all episodes on Global Player. Download Global Player from your app store or visit www.globalplayer.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer: Chris Janes

    46 min
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About

Join mates Johnny Vaughan and Gavin Woods as they uncover the jaw-dropping stories of history’s boldest icons and unsung heroes. From outrageous escapades to ingenious breakthroughs, every episode is packed with legendary tales you didn’t learn in school (but wish you had). With sharp wit and a shared sense of curiosity, Johnny and Gav turn history into a rollercoaster of laughs and surprises. Whether it’s daring escapes, bizarre inventions, or the quirky habits of history’s game-changers, you’ll be hooked on their unique take on the past. Perfect for history buffs, comedy lovers, and anyone who enjoys a cracking good story, Bloomin’ Legends is your new favourite podcast for unforgettable adventures through time. Get in touch with @BloominLegends on tik tok & Instagram. For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough. Executive Producer, Chris Janes Commissioning Editor, Chris Lander

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