60 Fun Facts About Good Omens

In which year was the novel Good Omens first published?

Good Omens was first published in 1990 by Gollancz. The two authors had known each other since a 1985 interview and plotted the book in long daily phone calls.

Neil Gaiman co-wrote Good Omens with which other author?

Terry Pratchett co-wrote it. By his own count he wrote a bit over two thirds of the words, but the pair split the money equally and swore they would not do it again 'for a big clock'.

'The Nice and ___ Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch' — which word completes the title?

Her prophecies are indeed perfectly accurate, but so cryptic and specific that they are almost useless to anyone but the person they were meant for.

Per Gaiman, the book began as a parody of Richmal Crompton's stories under what working title?

The working title was William the Antichrist. It outgrew the parody, but Adam and his gang remain recognisably William Brown and the Outlaws in a village at the end of the world.

How did the two authors physically exchange drafts while writing the book in 1988?

Gaiman noted that back then floppy disks 'really were pretty darn floppy', and the pair also spoke on the phone at least once every day.

Which part of the book did Pratchett say was 'completely and utterly' his alone?

Agnes Nutter's life and death was, in the authors' own account, 'completely and utterly' Terry's; Neil, meanwhile, 'proudly claims responsibility for the maggots'.

What is the name of the boy who turns out to be the real Antichrist?

Adam Young is the real Antichrist. A botched baby swap by satanic nuns left him growing up unnoticed with an ordinary family in the wrong village, which is why nobody can find him.

In which Oxfordshire village does the Antichrist grow up?

Adam grows up in Lower Tadfield. His reality-warping powers give the village perfect weather all year and, when the end nears, rather more than that.

What is the collective name for Adam's gang of friends?

They are the Them: Pepper, Wensleydale and Brian follow Adam everywhere, and their horror at what he is becoming is what pulls him back at the end.

What is Pepper's full given name?

Her full name is Pippin Galadriel Moonchild, bestowed at a naming ceremony in a field; she chose 'Pepper' herself and would not thank you for using the original.

Which lost continent does Adam accidentally raise after reading about it in a conspiracy magazine?

Atlantis rises after Adam reads about it in the New Aquarian Digest. He also summons UFOs and has the Amazon rainforest reclaim land, all without realising he is doing it.

Before the events of the book, what was Aziraphale's original job?

Aziraphale was the Guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden. He gave his flaming sword to Adam and Eve on their way out because it looked cold outside, which sets up a much later joke.

The novel says Crowley did not so much Fall as what?

He was the serpent in Eden, but has since acquired a flat, a car and a taste for London life.

In which London park do Aziraphale and Crowley meet to feed the ducks?

They meet in St James's Park, whose ducks the novel says are so used to being fed by secret agents at clandestine meetings that they react to the sight of a briefcase.

Which of the Four Horsemen retired in 1936, muttering about penicillin?

Pestilence retired in 1936 following the discovery of penicillin. His replacement is Pollution, a pale figure whose silver crown turns black at a touch.

Which Horseman wields the flaming sword that God originally gave to Aziraphale?

War carries it. She poses as a war correspondent named Carmine Zuigiber, and when the Them disarm her Aziraphale recognises the blade as the one he gave away in Eden.

What is Famine's cover identity in the modern world?

As Dr Raven Sable, Famine is a diet-book dietician and fast-food tycoon who sells food with no nourishment in it at all; his item of power is a pair of scales.

Which Duke of Hell is destroyed by a bucket of holy water rigged above Crowley's door?

Ligur dies in the holy water. His partner Hastur escapes, ends up trapped in Crowley's answering machine and later bursts out in a wave of maggots.

What is the forename of Newton Pulsifer's witchfinder ancestor, who burned Agnes Nutter at the stake?

Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer lit the fire. Agnes had packed her petticoats with gunpowder and roofing nails, so the burning did not go the way he planned.

Which Witchfinder Sergeant recruits Newt as the Army's only other member?

Sergeant Shadwell recruits Newt. He ends the book moving to a bungalow with his medium neighbour Madame Tracy, which effectively winds up the Witchfinder Army for good.

The satanic nuns who botch the baby swap belong to the Chattering Order of which saint?

They are the Chattering Order of St Beryl. Sister Mary Loquacious does the fumbling; in the TV series she later runs a corporate training centre on the same site.

What does Anathema do with the second book of Agnes's prophecies that arrives at the end of the novel?

She burns it unread. After a lifetime of living by her ancestor's instructions, Anathema decides she would rather not know what comes next.

The surnames Nutter and Device were borrowed from victims of which real witch trials?

Alice Nutter and Elizabeth Device were among those hanged in Lancashire; Gaiman confirmed the homage in a 2016 tweet.

What was the working title of the never-written Good Omens sequel plotted in Seattle in 1989?

It was 668 – The Neighbour of the Beast. The jet-lagged pair plotted it while sharing a Seattle hotel room; an archangel barely mentioned in the book was to be a much bigger character.

Where did the novel rank in the BBC's 2003 Big Read survey of the nation's favourite books?

Good Omens placed 68th in the BBC's 2003 Big Read, comfortably inside the top 100 alongside several Discworld novels.

Which director spent years trying to make a Good Omens film with a completed script?

Terry Gilliam spent years on it with a finished script. Most of the money was in place by 2002, but the funding to start shooting never came and he moved on.

Rumoured casting for the abandoned film paired Johnny Depp as Crowley with which actor as Aziraphale?

Robin Williams was the rumoured Aziraphale opposite Depp's Crowley. Gaiman said he knew nothing about the casting beyond one actor proposed for the Witchfinder Sergeant, whose name he promptly forgot.

In the 2014 BBC Radio 4 adaptation, the two authors cameoed as what?

The policemen were named 'Neil' and 'Terry', and Mark Heap and Peter Serafinowicz led the cast.

In the French translation, what name was Crowley given?

Crowley became Rampa, from 'ramper' (to crawl), so the name still shifts the way Crawly became Crowley in English; it also nods to T. Lobsang Rampa, whose books the same French publisher sold.

Which two actors were announced in August 2017 to play Aziraphale and Crowley in the TV series?

Michael Sheen and David Tennant were announced in August 2017. They reprised the roles in voice-only form for a three-minute lockdown short released on YouTube in May 2020.

On which streaming service were all six episodes of series 1 released on 31 May 2019?

All six episodes dropped on Prime Video on 31 May 2019. It was a co-production with BBC Studios and later aired weekly on BBC Two in early 2020.

Jon Hamm plays which archangel, a character mentioned only once in the novel?

Gabriel. His expanded role grew out of the unfinished sequel; in the novel he gets a single mention, and it is the Metatron who speaks for Heaven.

Which Oscar-winning actress narrates series 1 as the voice of God?

Frances McDormand, Oscar winner for Fargo and Three Billboards, narrates as God. A petition to cancel the show specifically objected to God being voiced by a woman.

Who voices the CGI Satan in series 1?

Benedict Cumberbatch voices him. Gaiman wanted the gigantic CGI figure to sound like an angry father rather than a hellfire monster, so his appearance was kept short.

Which veteran actor plays the Metatron, the spokesperson for God?

Derek Jacobi plays the Metatron. He was reported cast in December 2017, originally announced simply as the character's voice, and appeared in person in series 2.

Which actor provides the voice of Death in series 1?

Brian Cox, then starring as Logan Roy in Succession, supplies the voice of Death while Jamie Hill performs the body.

Which comedian plays Newton Pulsifer, the struggling computer engineer turned witchfinder?

Jack Whitehall plays Newt, and doubles as his 17th-century witchfinder ancestor in the scene where Agnes Nutter is burned.

What is the job of Nick Offerman's character, father of the boy mistaken for the Antichrist?

Thaddeus Dowling is the US Ambassador to the UK. The swap was meant to give Hell's child a diplomat's upbringing; the nuns handed the baby to the wrong family instead.

Reece Shearsmith plays which historical figure in series 1?

He plays William Shakespeare in the 1601 Globe scene. He returned in series 2 as the demon Furfur; his League of Gentlemen colleagues Mark Gatiss and Steve Pemberton play Nazi agents.

During which historical event do Aziraphale and Crowley encounter the Nazi agents Harmony and Glozier?

It is the London Blitz. The 1941 church scene became a fan favourite, and the two agents returned, less alive, as zombies in series 2.

What make of car does Crowley drive?

Crowley drives a vintage Bentley that he has owned since new and drives at 90 mph through central London; the show used a 1933 model.

What year does the novel say Crowley's car dates from?

The novel dates it to 1926. Neither author knew what a 1926 Bentley looked like, so the show used a 1933 model closer to the picture Gaiman had in his head.

Every cassette left in Crowley's car eventually turns into an album by which band?

Queen. The novel's rule is that any cassette left in the car for more than about a fortnight turns into a Best of Queen album; the show fills the Bentley with Bohemian Rhapsody.

Which composer wrote the score and the 'Mephistophelean waltz' title theme, earning two Emmy nominations?

David Arnold, the Bond composer, wrote it; he re-arranged the main theme for the end credits of every episode to reflect what had just happened.

Crowley's all-black costumes always carry a hint of which colour, representing his serpent's belly?

Red. It shows up in shoe soles, glove linings and under his collars, a nod to the underside of a snake; his belt buckle is a snake's head.

What colour contact lenses did Jon Hamm wear to match his 'pearl gray' suits?

Lilac contact lenses gave the archangel his unearthly violet eyes, set off by pearl-grey suits chosen by costume designer Claire Anderson so he would simply look perfect.

Which Buckinghamshire village stood in for Tadfield during filming?

Hambleden, a frequent film location, played Tadfield; Jasmine Cottage was found just north of the village at Colstrope Farm.

The Soho street set with the angel's bookshop was built where, because the shop had to burn for real?

The set went up at Bovingdon Airbase in Hertfordshire. Green screen extended the streets in post-production, but the fire in the bookshop was the genuine article.

What breed of dog was the model for the hellhound before it turns into a small dog?

The live dog was filmed against blue screen and partly enlarged in CGI to create the monstrous head and neck.

Which old-fashioned technique provided the scenery behind Crowley's driving scenes?

Rear projection: footage shot from a moving vehicle was projected onto screens around the set, so reflections on the glass and the driver's face were real.

How does Neil Gaiman cameo in series 1?

Paul Kaye also impersonates his late co-author's voice as an electricity board spokesman, and that co-author's hat and scarf sit in the bookshop.

What persuaded Gaiman to write the TV adaptation without his co-author?

A letter from Pratchett asking him to do it: Terry wrote that he wanted to see it 'before the lights go out', and after his death in 2015 Gaiman honoured the request alone.

Where does the amnesiac archangel turn up at the start of series 2?

He turns up at Aziraphale's bookshop, naked and carrying a box. The second series was a new bridging story rather than the plotted sequel, and was filmed around Bathgate in Scotland.

In series 2, what is the name of Nina's café across the street from the bookshop?

Nina runs Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death. Maggie, Aziraphale's tenant, runs the record shop next door, and the two shopkeepers become a matchmaking project for the angel and demon.

Which former Doctor Who lead plays Job in the series 2 minisode?

Peter Davison plays Job. His real-life grandson Ty Tennant plays Job's son Ennon, and his son-in-law David Tennant is, of course, playing Crowley.

After Gaiman left the production in 2024, the third and final series was cut down to what?

It was filmed over five weeks in early 2025 and released on 13 May 2026, with mixed reviews but praise for the two leads.

A petition to cancel Good Omens was famously addressed to which wrong company?

It named Netflix, though the show was on Amazon Prime Video; the petition was quietly taken down, corrected and reposted.

Which artist signed on to draw the Good Omens graphic novel, a £2.4M 2023 Kickstarter?

Colleen Doran, who drew Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples, signed on as artist. The campaign, run by the Pratchett estate, closed with more than 36,000 backers.

Who moderated the show's first-trailer panel at New York Comic Con in October 2018?

Whoopi Goldberg, a longtime fan of the novel, hosted the October 2018 New York Comic Con panel where the first trailer was shown.

Who directed the Good Omens television series?

Douglas Mackinnon directed every episode of series 1 and 2. Amazon Studios co-produced with BBC Studios, with Neil Gaiman as showrunner.