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George Bernard Shaw - or Bernard Shaw, as he preferred to be known - was one of Ireland's foremost dramatists and thinkers. His plays range from contemporary satires to historical allegories, and are infused with ideas, insight, wit and wisdom. Included here are some of his best works, adapted for radio and brought together in reverse chronological order in one statement collection.

Eight of George Bernard Shaw's most memorable plays in one splendid collection: Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Arms and the Man, Candida, The Devil’s Disciple, Major Barbara, The Doctor’s Dilemma, Misalliance, and Pygmalion.

A new version of this classic starring Stephen Fry. A chance encounter leads to flower girl Eliza Dootlittle undergoing a life changing transformation.

Arms and the Man is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw that takes place in 1885, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Raina Petkoff is engaged to the gallant Sergius Saranoff, hero of the recent Bulgarian victory over the Serbs. But she is distracted by the abrupt arrival of Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who fought for the Serbian army. He takes refuge in her bedroom after the battle and although he is initially threatening, reveals that he carries chocolate creams instead of bullets. Will Raina marry the posturing Sergius or the chocolate cream soldier?

Immerse yourself in the brilliant wit and thought-provoking wisdom of playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw with this wondrous collection featuring 100 quotes that encapsulate Shaw's genius and his timeless relevance. From sharp social commentary to inspiring words on art, politics, and life, this collection is sure to captivate, challenge and inspire you.

George Bernard Shaw has been called the second greatest playwright in English (after William Shakespeare) and one of the inventors of modern celebrity as the most famous public intellectual of his time. Beginning in the 1880s, as a critic and as a playwright, he transformed British drama, bringing to it intellectual substance, ethical imperatives, and modernity itself, setting the theatrical course for the subsequent century. That his legacy endures 70 years after his death is testament to the prescience of his thinking and his prolific creativity.

One of Shaw's most enduring works, Pygmalion is an insightful comedy of class relations and perceptions, as played out between a Cockney flower girl and the irascible speech professor who has taken her on as a pet project.

In this late work, Shaw examines many contemporary issues under the broad rubric of evolution and then illustrates his opinions in five brief plays set in widely separated historical periods, beginning in the Garden of Eden and ending in the year 31,920 A.D. The unifying principle in this historical survey is the notion that the survival of humankind depends on increasing our lifespan to at least 300 years, a period permitting us to grow to maturity. The ultimate question that the mature cast of characters grapple with is what is to be the next significant step in evolution. Mere longevity ...

When Vivie learns that her mother's harlotry is the origin of her financial support, nothing in her world can ever be the same. There are serious consequences for her suitor, her mother, and herself.

George Bernard Shaw's warm and witty play continues to challenge conventional wisdom about male/female relationships. Candida concerns a beautiful married woman's choice between the two men who love her.

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw is the fascinating tale of Henry Higgins, a professor of speech and phonetics who takes on the task of teaching Eliza Doolittle, a lower-class flower seller, how to "act like a lady".

According to George Bernard Shaw, Joan of Arc was in fact one of the first Protestant martyrs. She was one of the first apostles of nationalism, and the first French practitioner of Napoleonic realism in warfare. She also refused to accept the specific woman's lot, and dressed and fought and lived as men did. Shaw's exploration of the story of this ingenuous and eponymous heroine is set in six scenes and an epilogue, which takes place in 1456, when the church cleared Joan of the charge of heresy and condemned her accusers of corruption.

In The Doctors Dilemma, we follow the story of Dr. Colenso Ridgeon, a recently knighted physician celebrated for his groundbreaking treatment for tuberculosis. As his friends gather to honor his achievement, he is confronted by two unexpected visitors who force him to face an agonizing choice. With only one vacancy left in his clinic, should he admit the brilliant yet morally bankrupt artist Louis Dubedat, or the humble and kind-hearted Dr. Blenkinsop? Dr. Ridgeons internal struggle deepens when he finds himself falling for Jennifer Dubedat, the innocent wife of the artist, who remains unaware...

This podcast delves into the intriguing friendship and intellectual sparring between George Bernard Shaw and G.K. Chesterton. Despite their contrasting beliefs, the two maintained a mutual respect and fascination for each others ideas. The podcast explores how Shaw, a prominent figure in the emerging school of thought known as humanism, championed progress for its own sake, even if it meant redefining the nature of humanity. Chesterton, in contrast, was more inclined towards religious thought, with his views leaning more and more towards the Church. This podcast offers a fascinating insight ...

The Emporor of Rome and the Queen of the Nile as only Shaw could have imagined them! He is a self-doubting cynic who is experiencing a mid-life crisis and she is an imperious and impertinent child on the threshold of womanhood. This recording also includes Shaw's alternate Prologue and his post-text notes.

Barbara, the granddaughter of an earl, is busy saving souls in the Salvation Army while her father, maintaining that poverty is the worst of crimes, runs a munitions factory.

A Cockney flower girl is transformed into a charming woman of the world by a professor of phonetics. This is the play that was later to be adapted as the musical, My Fair Lady.

The blowhards, the know-it-alls, the scrupulous and the impecunious are all targets for Shaw's incisive wit in his classic satire of the medical profession. A well-respected physician is forced to choose whom he shall save: a bumbling friend or the ne'er-do-well husband of the woman he loves.

Mrs. Warrens Profession, a provocative play by George Bernard Shaw, first graced the London stage in 1902, only to be quickly banned after two performances due to its controversial themes. The story revolves around a former prostitute turned madam who grapples with her estranged daughter’s disapproval. Shaw compellingly argues that prostitution stems not from moral failings but from economic necessity, while also critiquing the hypocrisy of a society that profits from illicit trades yet condemns them. This tension between societal values and personal choices made the play a target for ...

Pygmalion (1913) is a captivating play by George Bernard Shaw, inspired by the timeless Greek myth. It follows the transformative journey of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, as she becomes the subject of an audacious bet made by phonetics professor Henry Higgins. With the help of Colonel Pickering, Higgins is determined to refine Elizas speech and manners, aiming to pass her off as a lady of high society. As their relationship deepens, Eliza finds herself at a crossroads, ultimately choosing to reject Higginss controlling nature in favor of her own independence and love for Freddy ...