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.

⚔️ 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

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!

📲 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

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.

🎖️ 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

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 Radio X’s YouTube channel!

📲 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

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.

🎨 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?

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 Radio X’s YouTube channel!

📲 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

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.

👑 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

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!

📲 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

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 Charlemagne, the warrior king who went from Frankish prince to Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. With a sword in one hand and scripture in the other, he conquered kingdoms, united Europe, and somehow still found time for a LOT of kids.

⚔️ The Warrior King – How Charlemagne built a continental empire through faith, fire, and force

📜 The Emperor’s Glow-Up – Why the Pope crowned him on Christmas Day and what it really meant

🏰 Politics, Power & Papal Drama – The wild clashes between church and state that shaped Europe for centuries

🧬 A Seriously Legendary Legacy – How he fathered over 18 children and may be your ancestor too (seriously)

At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Charlemagne a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just a medieval strongman with a good PR team?

🎥 Watch the full episode on Radio X’s YouTube channel!

📲 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

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 into the astonishing life of Zheng Yi Sao, the Cantonese sex worker turned pirate empress who built the most powerful naval empire in history. She didn’t just loot ships, she ran an entire ocean like a mob boss.

🏴‍☠️ From Brothel to Battleship – How she went from working the docks to commanding them

⚓ The Code of the Queen – The ruthless pirate laws she enforced that even the toughest men feared

💥 Naval Battles & Imperial Beatdowns – How she outmanoeuvred the Chinese Navy, Portuguese, AND British

🧾 The Sweetest Surrender Deal in History – Why she retired with full honours, a government job, and zero consequences

At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Zheng Yi Sao a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just a cutthroat crime boss with good PR?

🎥 Watch the full episode on Radio X’s YouTube channel!

📲 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

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history!

Which you can now WATCH in full, on the Radio X Youtube Channel!

In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods track the incredible life of Geronimo—the Apache leader whose name became a global battle cry. From daring escapes to brutal battles against Mexico and the United States, Geronimo became a symbol of defiance, survival, and rebellion.

🪓 Apache Avenger – How Geronimo turned personal tragedy into a lifelong war for freedom

🏹 The Master of Escape – His impossible getaways that made him the most wanted man in America

💥 The US Army’s Worst Nightmare – Why thousands of soldiers couldn’t catch one man in the desert

🎖️ From Warrior to World Star – How Geronimo went from resistance leader to sideshow celebrity in his final years

At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Geronimo a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just the last outlaw of a dying world?

🎥 Watch the full episode on Radio X's YouTube channel!

📲 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

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 take us into the dark and deranged reign of Ivan the Terrible. The first Tsar of Russia whose violent outbursts, bizarre behaviour, and brutal purges made him one of history’s scariest rulers... and possibly its weirdest.

👑 Russia’s First Tsar – How Ivan crowned himself and rewrote the Russian playbook

💀 The Bloody Oprichniki – His terrifying private death squad who spread fear across the land

⚔️ Paranoia, Rage & Tragedy – Why Ivan saw enemies everywhere… even in his own family

🚀 The Monk He Launched Into Space (Sort Of) – The strange, possibly true story of Ivan’s most bizarre execution

At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Ivan the Terrible a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just Russia’s most dangerous madman?

📲 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

Commissioning Editor: Chris Lander