60 Fun Facts About Good Omens

In which year was the novel Good Omens first published?

The two authors had known each other since 1985 and plotted the book in long daily phone calls.

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

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?

It outgrew the idea, but Adam and his gang are 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?

Neil, meanwhile, 'proudly claims responsibility for the maggots'.

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

He grows up unnoticed with the wrong family, in the wrong village, in the wrong country, which is exactly why nobody can find him.

In which Oxfordshire village does the Antichrist grow up?

His reality-warping powers give the place perfect weather and, when the end nears, rather more than that.

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

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

What is Pepper's full given name?

She would not thank you for using it; 'Pepper' is very much her choice.

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

He also summons UFOs after chatting about aliens 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?

He gave his flaming sword away 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.

What was Crowley called back when he was still a serpent in Eden?

He upgraded the name along with everything else once he had a flat, a car and a taste for London life.

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

She poses as a war correspondent named Carmine Zuigiber, and trouble follows wherever she files from.

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

As Dr Raven Sable he 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?

His partner 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?

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?

He ends the book married to his medium neighbour Madame Tracy, which effectively disbands the Witchfinder Army for good.

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

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?

After a lifetime of living by her ancestor's instructions, she 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?

The pair were sharing a room to save money and could not sleep for jet lag; an archangel barely mentioned in the book was going to be a much bigger character in it.

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

That put it comfortably inside the top 100 alongside several Discworld novels.

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

Most of the money was in place by 2002, but the initial 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?

Gaiman said he had no idea about the casting except for the Witchfinder Sergeant, whose intended actor's name he immediately 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?

The name shifts the way the demon's own did in English, and nods to T. L. 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?

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?

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?

His expanded role came from the unfinished sequel; in the book the leader of Heaven's forces is the Metatron.

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

A petition to cancel the show specifically objected to God being voiced by a woman; Tanya Moodie took over the role for the finale.

Who voices the CGI Satan in series 1?

Gaiman wanted the 500-foot creature to feel like an angry father rather than a hellfire monster, so the effects were scaled back.

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

He was reported cast in December 2017, originally announced simply as the character's voice.

Which actor provides the voice of Death in series 1?

Jamie Hill performs the body while the Succession star supplies the voice.

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

He also plays Newt's 17th-century ancestor, complete with odd socks borrowed from the book.

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

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 returned in series 2 as Furfur, a demon official; 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?

The 1941 church scene became a fan favourite and the two agents returned, less alive, in series 2.

What make of car does Crowley drive?

The one used for filming was valued at £250,000, and the version blown up in the finale was a real car with its interior stripped out.

The car used on screen is a 1933 model. What year does the novel say Crowley's car dates from?

Neither author knew what that year's model looked like, so the show picked one closer to the picture Gaiman had in his head.

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

The show leans into the gag, including a brass-band arrangement of Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon.

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

He rewrote 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?

It shows up in shoe soles, glove linings and under his collars; his belt buckle is a snake's head.

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

Costume designer Claire Anderson had the suits made in cashmere by Zegna so the archangel would simply look perfect.

Which Buckinghamshire village stood in for Tadfield during filming?

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?

Green screen extended the streets in post-production, but the fire in the shop 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?

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 finally persuaded Gaiman to write the adaptation alone after his co-author's death?

He had refused to consider it until the letter arrived urging him to finish the project.

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

The second series was a new bridging story, not 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?

Maggie, Aziraphale's tenant, runs the record shop next door, and the two shopkeepers become a project for the angel and demon.

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

His real-life grandson Ty Tennant plays Job's son Ennon, and his son-in-law 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?

The show was on Amazon Prime; 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?

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?

Amazon's SXSW 'Garden of Eden' party the next spring featured a puppy petting zoo called 'Hell Hounds'.

Who directed the Good Omens television series?

The show was a co-production between Amazon MGM Studios and BBC Studios, with Neil Gaiman as creator and showrunner.