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Neil Gaiman And The Cast Talk Good Omens 2
It’s A Devil Of A Reunion
Showrunner Neil Gaiman and the cast talk about Prime’s Good Omens 2 available to watch now…
In 1989, at the World Fantasy Convention in Seattle – Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman had to share a room. Jetlag resulted in a serendipitous long conversation during the night, where they mapped out ‘what happened next’ to the wonderful characters of Aziraphale and Crowley in the world of their cowritten book, Good Omens.
Executive Producer, Co-Showrunner and writer, Gaiman remembers: “Soon after, I moved to America but whenever we met, we talked about the potential sequel. In 2010 when we started to pursue the idea of making Good Omens into a television series, we made sure we set up the potential for a sequel.”
Season one of Good Omens was adapted from the novel co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Both season one and season two were directed by Douglas Mackinnon, who also serves as executive producer and on season two, as co-showrunner with Gaiman. Departing from the close adaptation of the first season, season two explores storylines that go beyond the original source material. Gaiman comments: “The idea was always that we would tell the story that Terry and I came up with in 1989 in Seattle, but that we would do that in our own time and in our own way. So, once Good Omens was done, all I knew was that I really, really wanted to tell the rest of the story. And of course, the fun with making the television series is this isn’t that. If we make that, that would be a hypothetical Season three. Season two is, in many ways, a way of getting to that plot where, if I ever tell it, I will tell the story that Terry and I came up with so late that night [in Seattle].”
Rob Wilkins, Executive Producer comments: “Good Omens season one was a delight because we had the book – the beloved source material – for Neil to adapt so beautifully and seamlessly from page to screen. However, that didn’t stop me worrying on set every day as to what Terry would think, which was entirely unnecessary because our wonderful cast and crew carried his memory aloft throughout production. However, the sequel Terry and Neil plotted in Seattle back in 1989 was never finished and so for season two there is no novel to draw on, just fragments of late-night notes and conversations. That emotionally makes it a lot easier for me and I have relaxed into the process and have enjoyed every minute of having Aziraphale and Crowley back in my life. What would Terry think of season two? He would be delighted and would joyously break a bottle of champagne across its bows as we all set sail for Heaven and, indeed, Hell.”
Executive Producer and Head of Comedy for BBC Studios, Josh Cole added: “We were thrilled that Neil wanted to return to Good Omens. It’s rare to work on a show with a visionary writer who also happens to be one of the most collaborative. But Neil is no ordinary writer – he is a humble genius, and his unique tone makes season two of Good Omens an absolute joy. As a producer, BBC Studios cherishes creativity and Good Omens epitomises the work we strive to make, so of course we were delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Neil. We’re optimistic the fans will like what they see!”
In expanding the story this season, Gaiman brought on the writing collaborations of John Finnemore, Andy Nyman, Jeremy Dyson and Cat Clarke. Gaiman said: “Though I wrote all the Season one scripts alone, this time, I wanted that fun of collaboration. I am an enormous fan of John Finnemore’s work – and the process of writing with him was brilliant, invaluable and made me tremendously happy.”
Finnemore and Gaiman collaborated across the season as Finnemore also served as Executive Producer. Co-plotting and co-writing this season with Gaiman, he also wrote one of the three minisodes, stories within stories that enhance the overall adventure. The first of these – written by Finnemore, is loosely based on the biblical story of “The Book of Job”. Nyman and Dyson continue the tale of Nazi Zombies that we saw in Season one and Clarke brings a new adventure of body snatchers for medical research to Edinburgh set in the 1820s.
Finnemore’s minisode set in Biblical times is centred on Job, played by Peter Davison. The scene delightfully brings together Davison with his son-in-law, David Tennant, and grandson Ty Tennant, who plays Job’s son. When Gaiman and Prachett were writing Good Omens, the story had been inspired by a parodic look at The Omen, the film from the 1970s, with some inspiration from the Book of Revelations added in, such as with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In reflecting on the Biblical elements of Good Omens, Gaiman said: “The truth is that it’s not biblical. Most of the things that people would think of as biblical aren’t in the Bible anyway. But the opening of Good Omens [season one] was very biblical because it was sent in the Garden of Eden. With [season two] we’re sort of expanding our view of things. So, it’s not desperately biblical in the sense of… you could throw a dart anywhere at Good Omens and with the exception of Finnemore’s glorious minisode, which is absolutely biblically accurate in its retelling of the story of Job, more or less, it’s not really about The Bible. But, on the other hand, we get to begin it before anybody got to say ‘let there be light’ with an angel who probably would one day become known as Crowley and an angel called Aziraphale actually meeting before… back in the early days of the creation when they’re still sort of putting things together.
Gaiman adds: “Let me throw in something as a little footnote. I think for Good Omens season one, people tended to think of it as perhaps more biblical than it was. As exemplified by a very small Christian group who didn’t watch Good Omens but petitioned Netflix to cancel it, after Amazon had released it. Because, having not watched it they didn’t know what it was about or that it was six episodes and done, or in fact that it had come out on Amazon. They just enthusiastically tried to get it cancelled. Whereas, on the other side of the coin, Good Omens, after the first season had come out, was actually awarded the prestigious Sandford Martin prize for religious, ethical drama in radio or television. A number of things were nominated and Good Omens won.”
In September 2020, Vernon Sanders from Amazon Studios called Neil Gaiman with the good news that not only had a season two of Good Omens been greenlit by Amazon Studios but so had Anansi Boys.
The ambitious and exhausting plan was to produce both in Scotland at the same time. Planning with the restrictions of a world changed by the pandemic COVID, Neil and the executive producers embarked on the adventure of creative collaboration and realising these two productions filming in and around Edinburgh. For Good Omens the production was based at Pyramid Studios, Bathgate in between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The set of Soho, which in Season one was built outside at Bovingdon Studios, an adapted abandoned airfield, was recreated by returning production designer Michael Ralph and his creative partner and wife, set decorator Bronwyn Franklin, inside a large sound stage. Location filming took place in Edinburgh, Stirling and the surrounding areas.
Heavenly, Hellish and Human Characters – The Company of Players:
The re-gathering of the core cast of season one to return to season two, some in the same roles, others in new roles is akin to ‘a company of players’ in a theatre. Great friendships were made during the filming of Season one, none so clear in front of and behind the camera than that of Michael Sheen and David Tennant who, through Good Omens, became great friends and during lockdown launched their own series “Staged”. They both happily love their characters of Aziraphale and Crowley.
Michael Sheen is ‘Aziraphale’. Following the tumultuous ending of season one, Aziraphale is now an ‘outcast’ angel living on Earth. He has happily carved out a safe existence in his bookshop in Soho. He is very content living a safe life with his love of books, music, food and wine; a fussy, do-gooder who has no desire to change his routine.
David Tennant is ‘Crowley,’ similarly unemployed as the Hell’s representative on Earth and is rather enjoying the lack of stress, hanging out with his friend Aziraphale…but of course this peaceful state of affairs is not going to last for long.
Michael Sheen talks about Neil Gaiman: “His writing has such a breadth of reference and yet is so accessible and entertaining even when taking on big epic or philosophical issues. There’s something about the way Neil sees the mundane that is extraordinary. When things filter through his imagination they emerge in an entirely unique way and yet it feels like it’s always been there. Add in the sprinkling of the imagination of Terry Pratchett and cocktail has been created – utterly familiar.”
David Tennant echoes this: “They both have a sense of the absurdity of what it is to be a human showing our vulnerabilities, foibles and flaws but with a genuine love of people. There’s a real compassion and empathy for everyday people doing everyday things. This compassion and human understanding is evident in everything he writes even with the supernatural, the unusual and the magical and the mythological, he takes the mundane and the human and he sort of squishes them together.”
Neil Gaiman comments on the new run: “In Season One, Aziraphale and Crowley went from being relative strangers to becoming reliant on each other and unlikely friends. Now both unemployed, they are the only consistent thing each other has in the world. Season two begins four years after the events of season one. Crowley is not on speaking terms with Hell, Aziraphale is not on speaking terms with Heaven. We find them in Soho and Crowley hangs out a lot in the bookshop; everything changes when an unexpected visitor arrives at their door. Gabriel, the Archangel in charge of Heaven and Aziraphale’s terrifying boss in season one knocks on the door; naked; devoid of clothes and also his memory. This starts the adventures of season two – unravelling the mystery of why Gabriel has come to visit. Aziraphale gets to play detective, they both try to be matchmakers in very different styles.”
David Tennant talks about returning to season two: “It seemed like an age since we filmed season one, so I had to remind myself of who Crowley was a bit by rewatching some scenes – but then I realised he hadn’t gone very far. Once I squeezed into the trousers again – it all came flooding back and that combined with acting with Michael and the great writing – it’s a delight. ‘Aziraphale’ and ‘Crowley’ have lost their jobs. For Crowley, although officially in season one he worked for downstairs, he was always pretty independent; but jobless he does rely on Aziraphale by necessity and circumstance.”
Jon Hamm is ‘Gabriel’. In season one of Good Omens, the Archangel Gabriel, played by Jon Hamm, was a stylish, slick, arrogant, worst boss. His arrival at the beginning of season two presents a very different version. What would you do when your former boss arrives on your doorstep naked, with no memory and asking for sanctuary? Part of Neil Gaiman’s inspiration of the ‘Gabriel’ storyline was driven by Doon Mackichan’s performance as ‘Michael’: ‘Michael’ clearly wants to be in charge in Heaven and radiates the competence of running things and seems to have an intelligence network. So as an idle thought, well if you got rid of ‘Gabriel’ – where would he go?”
Doon Mackichan remarks on this: “Michael has always thought they were much better at the job than Gabriel, so when Gabriel disappears and they are effectively running the show, but not officially the supreme Archangel, it is fascinating to see how quickly the power corrupts.”
So a stark-naked Gabriel, played again by Jon Hamm, arrives in Soho – walks through the market and knocks on the bookshop door. He has no memory of who he is or why he is there. Aziraphale and Crowley offer him shelter and perform a small miracle to hide him from Heaven and Hell, who have a full-on operation to find him afoot.
Neil Gaiman recalls Hamm’s reaction to this request: “Jon is a tremendously good sport, and when I came up with the idea the first thing I did was email Jon and say – this is what I’m going to do, are you cool with this? Is that good? Are you OK? And he was like – that sounds hilarious, you’ve got to do it.”
Jon Hamm remembers his on-screen debut for season two: “Well yes, it was certainly a striking entrance but it was funny. Neil has a finely tuned sense of comedy, and how scenes he writes will play. And Douglas adds the fine-tuning. Honestly, this was such a great place to start for the new story of Gabriel and how he has changed this season. Gabriel has been altered in a fundamental way. This is part of the larger story of what it is to be happy – not only as a human but also as a celestial being. To play Gabriel stripped of all his history and pretense is to play him with the open-eyed wonder of a child.”
For Neil Gaiman, Miranda Richardson is part of the DNA of Good Omens. Madam Tracy’s story was not going to continue in season two but ‘Shax’, the demon who replaces Crowley as Hell’s Representative on Earth was written as a wonderful character for Miranda. ‘Shax’ is an elegant demon who has been awaiting her time to shine. As Crowley’s replacement as Hell’s representative on Earth she is a force to be reckoned with but her unique style is a little out of time and she has a steep learning curve to understand the idiosyncrasies of the human race.
Richardson reveals a little about this character in the new run:“When Neil called me about Good Omens 2, ‘Shax’ was a not fully formed character so we had a great chat about the elements to bring her to life; her look and characteristics with influences from Powell and Pressburger – in her 40s and 50s fashions and arch clipped dialogue. She is new to earth and really doesn’t blend in very well – despite her best efforts. Costume and hair and make-up did such an incredible job on my many looks – I loved them all. The pointy shoulder pads were like my very own social distancing tool but wearing heels after living in trainers for lockdown was torture.”
She continues: “It’s such fun being reunited with this team – a gift to everyone – so familiar that it is a kind of family. Michael and David are so comfortable in their characters that they can do anything.”
Good Omens 2 is on Prime now. Here’s the trailer
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