Alistair McGowan

The expert guide to the evolution and fossil record of cephalopods In Paleobiology of Ammonoids and their Relatives, Dr. McGowan delivers an up-to-date and comprehensive exploration of the evolution and biology of cephalopods that is written for non-specialists and experts in invertebrate biology and paleobiology alike. The book bridges the biology-paleontology divide, challenging some established thinking about cephalopod evolution and highlighting new research methods and results. The author explores areas of controversy, as well as the focus of current research, as he discusses the contributions of cephalopod research to discoveries in macroevolution and paleobiology. The only text to cover both extant and extinct cephalopod groups, this book also offers: A thorough introduction to the major cephalopod groups, including their fossil recordComprehensive explorations of the hard and soft tissues of cephalopods, including internal and external shells, as well as cephalopod brains and sensory systemsDetailed surveys of the growth and form of cephalopods, as well as their locomotion and feedingInsightful discussions of cephalopod reproduction and life history, phylogeny and classification, and cephalopod biogeographyWritten for students and researchers in cephalopod biology and paleobiology, Paleobiology of Ammonoids and their Relatives will also earn a place in the library of every ammonoid fossil collector.

A debut collection of poetic snapshots written between 1986 and 2024. "All the wit you'd expect and yearn for but with a really surprising and delicious sensitivity." Joanna Lumley "Alistair's sense of fun we know but the tenderness of his poetry adds new depths to our understanding of the man and his work." Henry Normal"Funny, moving, and with a real depth of feeling." Mary Killen, The Spectator"You don't get to be a great impressionist without a feel for rhythm and rhyme and pitch. These are terrific, truthful poems." Sir Richard Stilgoe"Verbally adroit ... skewering the passing moment, holding it up for examination but with an undertow of great feeling. Masterly." Simon Callow"Sometimes just funny, then melancholic, occasionally beautifully profound, often soulful, now and then amusingly imitative, always insightful and well observed." Franny Moyle

A star-studded BBC radio production of Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion – plus bonus drama The ‘B’ Word, telling the story of the play’s scandalous opening nightIrascible phonetics professor Henry Higgins makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can train Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle to talk ‘like a lady’ and pass as a duchess at the Ambassador’s Ball. As the day of reckoning approaches, can Eliza convince the assembled aristocrats that she’s one of them? And what will become of her afterwards? This effervescent radio version of Shaw’s classic comedy features a stellar cast, including award-winning comedians Alistair McGowan as Henry Higgins, Morgana Robinson as Eliza Doolittle and Al Murray as Alfred Doolittle. Also featured on this release is The ‘B’ Word, written by and starring Alistair McGowan as Bernard Shaw. Centring on the shocking opening night of Pygmalion – the first time that the word ‘bloody' was used on the British stage – it also explores the passionate love-hate relationship between Shaw; his leading man, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (Richard McCabe) and his leading lady, Mrs Patrick Campbell (Charlotte Page), who played the 19-year-old Eliza Doolittle at the age of 49. Cast and creditsPygmalionHenry Higgins……………………Alistair McGowanEliza Doolittle……………………Morgana RobinsonAlfred Doolittle……………………Al MurrayColonel Pickering……………………Hugh FraserMrs Higgins……………………Siân PhillipsMrs Pearce/Maid……………………Charlotte PageMrs Eynsford-Hill……………………Georgie GlenClara Eynsford-Hill……………………Maeve Bluebell WellsFreddy Eynsford-Hill.....……………………Tom ForristerNepommuck……………………David SturzakerAmbassador……………………John DougallAmbassador's wife……………………Sarah RidgewayBystander……………………David SterneWritten by Bernard ShawProduced and directed by Emma HardingThe ‘B’ WordBernard Shaw……………………Alistair McGowanGeorge Alexander……………………David SturzakerMrs Patrick Campbell.....……………………Charlotte PageSir Herbert Beerbohm Tree……………………Richard McCabeCharlotte Shaw……………………Georgie GlenMerivale……………………Philip FoxGurney/Fishman……………………Simon LuddersBell……………………Charlie ClementsMaid……………………Sarah RidgewayWritten by Alistair McGowanProduced and directed by Emma HardingProduction Coordinator: Jenny MendezStudio Managers: Alison Craig, Caleb Knightley and Thomas GlasserDuration: 2 hours 45 mins approx.