THERE is something almost magical about dinosaurs that intrigues practically everybody.

Whether it is watching blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park, or Sir David Attenborough's insightful television documentaries, there is just something about the pre-historic creatures which fascinates both the young and the old.

Ben Garrod, a scientific expert on the species, and most recognisable from his appearance in Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur, is bringing his latest tour to Somerset for three shows next year, and promises to wow both the young and old with some myth-busting facts.

For example, did you know the Tyrannosaurus Rex, probably the most famous dinosaur, actually looked more like a giant feathered turkey, than the green lizard-like monster we all think?

"Everyone loves dinosaurs," said Ben, who is based just down the M5 in Bristol.

"There's just something about them. I don't know how or why, but everyone is fascinated by them, and their weird and wonderful antics. We have all grown up with them, whether it was in the 1930s with King Kong and Godzilla, to Jurassic Park.

"And the best thing about them is they are all wrong, every single one of them. Everyone shows the T-Rex as a giant, scaly lizard, with little arms, but in actual fact, they had multi-coloured feathers, they looked like a giant turkey more than anything else.

"They found a fossilised voice box related to a T-Rex recently, and it actually sounded like a goose, not the roar we think."

In his show, which he said was like "Dino-panto-banter", Ben myth-busts some common misconceptions about the pre-historic creatures, with interactive displays to keep everyone entertained.

An evolutionary biologist by trade, Ben is also a lecturer at universities in Oxford and Bristol, and as well as his appearances on television, is probably better placed than anyone to deliver this kind of show.

He said: "There's a really weird mix between what we think we know about dinosaurs, and what is actually true.

"There's all these crazy things you can do with modern technology, and I explore that in my show. Kids love this kind of thing, but so do adults, and just looking out from the stage and seeing the faces of wonder is brilliant.

"In the show, for example. I talk about the melanorosaurus, a giant dinosaur, and we look at the DNA of it, and how that is similar to birds at the moment.

"It's a very busy show. We go through all the different groups of dinosaurs, herbivores, carnivores, birds, how the dinosaurs ate, how they moved, how they slept, and I got through it all nicely and slowly.

"I prefer live shows to television. Television is great, but I prefer face-to-face human contact, to see how the audiences react, and you can't get that with TV."

Ben's own dinosaur fascination sparked into life when he was just seven, after discovering a fossil on a beach in Norfolk, where he originally hails from.

And with the famous Jurassic coast just over the border in Dorset, with some fossils also discovered closer by in Minehead, Ben has some top tips for budding paleontologists.

He said: "I'm a bit of a cliche really, I found a fossil on a beach in Norfolk, it looked like a little boulder, and I was just amazed that it was 200 million years old, and was still there.

"From there, it pushed me into dinosaurs and eventually into evolutionary biology.

"I'm not Ross from Friends, I'm not a paleontologist, but I'm just fascinated, I'm like a kid in a sweet shop, I just want everything and to find out about everything.

"We have such a wealth right on our doorstep. I would say if you are anywhere near the Jurassic Coast, just go there for a day.

"I go there quite a lot and it's great because the seas wash up loads of stuff. Of course, always stay away from the cliffs because they are dangerous, but you will always find something there.

"Six or seven years ago, a girl found a new species of T-Rex down there, after just picking up a fossil. We are in an amazing place, everyone thinks dinosaurs are discovered in exotic places, but lots are discovered here in Britain.

"So go down there, you never know what you might find."

Ben Garrod's So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs will be performed at Weston-super-Mare Playhouse on February 3, in Frome at the Cheese and Grain on February 5 and at Yeovil's Octagon Theatre on February 8.