A new podcast series from BBC Scotland investigates Vladimir Romanov’s rise from Soviet submarine cook to millionaire football club owner and fugitive in a gripping tale of ambition, power, and chaos.
Romanov: Czar of Hearts chronicles the roller-coaster story of the Russian-born former owner and his stewardship of the Edinburgh club.
The first three episodes are available now on BBC Sounds and a further 6 episodes will be released weekly on the following Saturdays.
The first episode – The Man from the East – looks at Romanov’s background and history as a Lithuanian businessman in the years before he arrived as the saviour of Hearts in 2005.
In the following eight years Hearts won the Scottish Cup twice before the club fell into administration.
The series covers the ups and downs of a remarkable character and an incredible chapter in the club’s illustrious history, hearing from many of the key figures who were inside Hearts at the time.
Former managers Graham Rix, Paulo Sergio and Anatoliy Korobochka are interviewed along with several ex-players including – Edgaras Jankauskas, Saulius Mikoliunus, Roman Bednar, Andy Webster, Michael Stewart, Ryan McGowan, and Paul Hartley.
Sergejus Fedotovas and Liutaurus Varanavicious – who both worked very closely with the former Hearts owner – and Charlie Mann, who was his UK spokesperson, also give the inside track on the Romanov era.
The series is presented by BBC Scotland journalist and Hearts fan, Martin Geissler, presenter of the Sunday Show on BBC One Scotland, and news and current affairs podcast, Scotcast, on BBC Sounds and the BBC Scotland channel.
He said:
“Working on this podcast has been a labour of love.
“I’ve followed Hearts all my life and the Romanov years were among the most exciting – and bewildering – that I can remember.
“To have the opportunity to speak to the people who were there at the centre of it all and hear what really happened has been a privilege and a pleasure.
“It’s a story which is often incredible, sometimes hilarious, but always fascinating.
“I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
