A film based on a novel by a famous Glasgow-born author has scooped several awards at this year's Baftas.

Poor Things, which was written by Tony McNamara won five awards at the event last night.

The 2023 film is based on a 1992 novel by Scottish author Alasdair Gray and it was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

The Scots writer and actor was born on December 28, 1934, in Riddrie and is known for Poor Things, Thirty-Minute Theatre, and Theatre 625.

The famous author studied at the Glasgow School of Art in 1952, and his murals then went on to appear in many Glasgow public spaces over the coming years.

Sadly, Alasdair died on December 29, 2019.

Here are all the awards scooped by the film at the 2024 Bafta event:

  • Special visual effects - Poor Things' Tim Barter, Simon Hughes, Dean Koonjul, and Jane Paton.
  • Makeup and hair - Poor Things' Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, and Josh Weston
  • Costume design - Poor Things' Holly Waddington 
  • Leading actress - Poor Things' Emma Stone
  • Production design - Poor Things' Shona Heath, James Price, and Zsuzsa Mihalek

After scooping the Leading Actress Award, American actress Emma Stone said she was “in awe” of all of the team behind the surreal comedy, where she plays Bella Baxter – a woman who is reanimated and implanted with the brain of a baby.

She paid tribute to the writers for coming up with the line “I must go punch that baby” in a memorable dinner scene, and also hailed director Yorgos Lanthimos for “our friendship and the gift of Bella”.

Also thanking her mother, Stone said: “She kind of made me believe this crazy idea that I can do something like this.”

Stone also thanked her British dialect coach for “not laughing” when she said water in an American accent.