Podcast
Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods
Hosted by Global · EN
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: GlobalStudiosSales@global.com
Bloomin' Legends is a Global Production, produced by Ben Fairclough.
60episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Lachhiman Gurung: The Gurkha Who Took On 200 Men Alone
3d ago00:46:41Tap to summarizeHe was 4 foot 11, weighed eight stone, came from a mountain village with no electricity, no roads, and no running water… and then held off 200 Japanese soldiers in a Burmese jungle trench after a grenade blew his hand off.In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods take on take on Lachhiman Gurung, the Gurkha rifleman who became one of the most decorated soldiers of the Second World War. Four days after VE Day, while Britain was celebrating in the streets, Gurung was still fighting in the Burmese jungle. Half blind, badly wounded, and down to one usable hand, he spent four hours holding off wave after wave of Japanese attackers with a bolt-action rifle, a kukri, and pure bloody-minded courage.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:The trench stand - the astonishing night Gurung threw back grenades, lost his right hand, and still refused to give an inch“Come and fight a Gurkha” – the battle cry he reportedly shouted into the dark as 200 enemy troops closed inThe quiet hero – how one of the bravest men of the war went home, farmed in silence, and barely spoke about what he’d done...bloomin legend.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Transcribe →The Extra Legendary Bit: A Train Thief and a Secret Millionaire
6d ago00:13:00Tap to summarizeHis grandfather was told to move a train up the line. The driver had wandered off, so he thought, how hard can it be? Twenty miles later, he found out.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.What You'll Hear in This Episode:The Man Who Accidentally Stole a Train – A 1960s signal technician gets an empty locomotive rolling with zero training and absolutely no idea how to stop it. Land Rovers give chase. His response when they finally catch up is magnificent.The Tightest Man Who Ever Bought a House – Uncle Ray never spent a penny in his life. Same flat for 40 years. Fiver in every birthday card. Then the solicitor's letter arrived.The Ford Focus of Justice – Someone parks across Dave's driveway. Dave parks directly behind them and puts the football on. Three hours later, he delivers one line that ends the whole situation.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
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Casanova: The World’s Greatest Lover Was a Prison-Breaking Spy
1w ago00:44:34Tap to summarizeHe was a lawyer by 17, a priest who once fainted in the pulpit from a hangover, a professional violinist, a government spy, a prison escape artist, a con man, a duellist, and the man whose name became shorthand for the world’s greatest seducer.He blagged his way through 18th-century Europe, convinced a Venetian senator he had mystical powers, escaped from an “inescapable” prison through the roof, invented the French state lottery, and somehow still found time to get exiled from half the continent.In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin “The Woodman” Woods take on Giacomo Casanova, the Venetian adventurer whose real life was far wilder than his reputation.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:The man behind the name - how Casanova became synonymous with seduction, even though his real life was much madder than just his love affairsThe prison break – Casanova’s legendary escape from Venice’s supposedly inescapable Leads prison by climbing out through the roof and strolling out dressed as a noblemanThe great European blag – how he convinced a senator he had magical powers, worked as a spy, and charmed his way into courts and palaces across the continentCasanova’s seduction formula – Johnny breaks down the four-act game plan that made him history’s most famous romantic operator🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Transcribe →The Extra Legendary Bit: Drunken Sailors, Top Trumps & Plum Schnapps
2w ago00:16:15Tap to summarizeHe jumped into freezing Portsmouth water after a few sherbets, swam to HMS Warrior, climbed to the very top of the mast, and tied his trousers up there like a denim flag. He got caught in his pants by security dogs and thawed out under a heater in the guard room. Somehow, that still wasn't the maddest part of the story.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.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:The Man Who Boarded HMS Warrior In His Underpants – Andy “Wing Commander” Wing takes a drunken strength bet far too seriously, scales a historic warship in the dead of night, and leaves his jeans fluttering from the mast for months.Johnny Fish vs a Flaming Rope – Inspired by his mate’s heroics, one listener casually mentions attempts at parachute-less jumps and plans to abseil down a rope he’s set on fire.The Kosovo Chunder Challenge – A hungover RAF medic, a puking Finnish soldier, a helicopter ride over Kosovo, and one very attractive army officer combine to create a truly heroic act of British self-control.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Ben Fairclough and Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
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Neil Armstrong: What He Actually Said on the Moon
2w ago00:54:20Tap to summarizeHe learned to fly before he could drive. At 20, a cable strung across a Korean hillside ripped three feet off his wing at 350 miles an hour, and he nursed the plane to the sea before ejecting with half a second to spare. A decade later, he stopped a spacecraft spinning at one revolution per second using nothing but his nerve. Then NASA gave him a $678 pay rise and told him to go and land on the Moon.In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods take on Neil Armstrong, the quiet kid from Ohio who became a naval aviator, a test pilot in a job with a one-in-four survival rate, the first civilian astronaut, and the first human being to set foot on another world. All while being described as the calmest man alive.What You'll Hear in This Episode:Flying before driving - How a kid from small-town Ohio got his pilot's license at 16, before he was even allowed behind a steering wheelThe Gemini 8 death spin – How Armstrong saved himself and David Scott from a spacecraft rotating once every second, and why NASA knew he was their man40 seconds of fuel - The terrifying final moments of the Apollo 11 landing, when Armstrong took manual control to dodge a boulder field🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Ben Fairclough and Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Transcribe →The Extra Legendary Bit: Himalayan Cowboys & South African in Disguise
3w ago00:16:03Tap to summarizeHe rode a horse through the Himalayas in a dinner jacket, got dragged 30 yards along a mountain path, stood up, brushed himself off, and told everyone he was fine. He wasn't fine. He was heavily medicated and privately terrified.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.What You'll Hear in This Episode:🐴 James Bond in the Himalayas - He turned up for a Tibetan horse trek in a dinner jacket. The horsemen gave him the wildest stallion and stuck him at the front. It went exactly as badly as you'd expect.🥃 The Welsh Smuggler Who Forgot His Own English – A WWI veteran smuggles booze across the Irish Sea in WWII. When caught, he pretends he can't speak English and uses the interpreter's translation time to think up better lies.🍺 Beer In, Ear Out, Australian Forever – A South African pours beer in his ear as a party trick, gets an infection, and accidentally lets the doctor think he's Australian. He has to keep up the accent at every appointment from then on.📩 Send it to bloominlegends@global.com — we're celebrating dads all month. 📲 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 and Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
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Butch Cassidy: He Blew Up a Bridge & Vanished Forever
3w ago00:48:27Tap to summarizeHis first crime was stealing a pair of jeans and some pie. He left an IOU, got taken to court, and the jury let him off. Within a decade, he'd blown up a railroad bridge, robbed trains and banks across six states, and racked up the equivalent of $13.5 million, all while being described as charming, clever, and the least likely member of his gang to pull the trigger.In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods tackle Butch Cassidy, the Mormon butcher's boy from Utah who assembled the Wild Bunch, pulled off the longest string of successful bank and train robberies in US history, fled to Argentina with the Sundance Kid, and may or may not have died in a Bolivian shootout.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Ben Fairclough and Cassie MerrittNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Transcribe →The Extra Legendary Bit: The Capsize King & Extraordinary Bastards
4w ago00:14:05Tap to summarizeA man so obsessed with the perfect racing finish on his dinghy that he moved it into the family hallway, sealed it inside a polytunnel, and was found at 4am, naked, still battling a mysterious dust problem he couldn't solve. That man was Johnny's dad. And this is Johnny's tribute to him.The Extra Legendary Bit is the 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.Got a legendary dad story? A classic catchphrase? The thing he always said when something went wrong?📩 Send it to bloominlegends@global.com — we're celebrating dads all month. 📲 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.New episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
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She Stole a Dead Nun & Set a Convent on Fire: Julie D'Aubigny
Jul 800:47:02Tap to summarizeShe was a swordswoman who could beat three men at once, an opera singer with the greatest voice Louis XIV had ever heard, and a woman so fearless she broke into a convent, stole a dead nun's body, set the place on fire, and escaped with her lover. She was 17 at the time.In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods tackle Julie D'Aubigny, the 17th-century French hell-raiser who seduced counts, outfought noblemen, and became one of the most extraordinary figures you've never heard of, all before dying at 33.What You'll Hear in This Episode:⚔️ Sword-fighting child prodigy. By 12, she was fencing grown men, and by 14, she was the mistress of the Count of Armagnac🏃♀️ On the run: after her fencing instructor boyfriend killed a man, they fled Paris and toured France doing sword exhibitions by day and singing in taverns by night🔥 The convent escape: body snatching, arson, a dead nun used as a decoy, and a plan that almost worked… almost🎭 Opera stardom: spotted singing in a Marseille tavern like a French Elvis in King Creole, she became one of the most celebrated voices in Paris💔 The love that ended it all: she stole the most beautiful woman in France from the king's own son, fled to Belgium, and never recovered when her lover died two years laterIf you love outrageous true stories, legendary women, French chaos, duels, opera, and comedy podcasts, this episode of Bloomin' Legends is for you.🎥 Watch the full episode now on the Bloomin' Legends YouTube channel!Got a legend you want us to cover? 📩 Send it to: bloominlegends@global.com 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends is a Global productionProduced by Ben FaircloughNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
Transcribe →The Extra Legendary Bit: A blunderbuss, a bomb & Diamond White Cider
Jul 500:13:01Tap to summarizeHe tried to flog an antique firearm to a dealer, kicked off over the price, stormed out — and was genuinely surprised when the police turned up. He wasn't bothered about nearly going to prison. He was fuming about losing the profit.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.What You'll Hear in This Episode:🔫 Dave & the Blunderbuss – A proper Del Boy character tries to sell an antique firearm, gets into a row with the dealer, and ends up having his door knocked on by the feds. His only complaint? The couple of quid he missed out on.💣 The Lottery of War – The same man served in Northern Ireland and swapped places with a terrified soldier moments before the IRA detonated a bomb. His bravery saved his own life — and the irony has haunted his family ever since.🍏 "It's Never Seen a F***ing Apple" – A beautiful tribute to a late friend, a brutal woodwork teacher with a mallet, a rope swing gone wrong, and the funniest thing anyone's ever said about a bottle of Diamond White.Got a story that can top this week's madness? 📩 Send it to bloominlegends@global.com 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.New episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
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