And with John Finnemore joining as co-writer

Michael Sheen and David Tennant are returning for a second series of the fantasy comedy-drama Good Omens.

And Neil Gaiman, who wrote the original book on which it was based with Terry Pratchett, has revealed that comedy writer John Finnemore has come on board to co-write the new season of six episodes with him.

In a blog entry confirming the new series, the showrunner wrote: ‘I'd been a fan of John Finnemore's for years, and had had the joy of working with him on a radio show called With Great Pleasure, where I picked passages I loved, had amazing readers read them aloud and talked about them.

‘I asked John if he'd be willing to work with me on writing the next round of Good Omens, and was overjoyed when he said yes.’

Sheen will return as Aziraphale, a fussy angel and Soho-based antiquarian book dealer, with Tennant as the fast-living demon Crowley. But as the original series, which aired on BBC Two and Amazon Prime, was a self-contained story about them teaming up to thwart the Apocalypse, the new season will go beyond the original novel.

The stars subsequently built on their chemistry for BBC One’s lockdown comedy, Staged.

Speaking about the second season of Good Omens, Sheen said: ‘Personally I’m against it, but the world isn’t going to just save itself, is it? If David and I can manage to not fall out too badly this time, it may even have a chance of getting finished."

Tennant added: ‘The return of Good Omens is great news for me, personally. As I get to work with Michael again, and I get to say Neil’s wonderful words once more. 

‘It’s probably less good for the universe as it almost certainly means there will be some fresh existential threat to its existence to deal with, but, you know — swings and roundabouts.’

Filming is set to start in Scotland soon and Gaiman gave some hints of what to expect.

He wrote: ‘Terry’s not here any longer, but when he was, we had talked about what we wanted to do with Good Omens, and where the story went next.

‘We will be back in Soho, and all through time and space, solving a mystery which starts with one of the angels wandering through a Soho street market with no memory of who they might be, on their way to Aziraphale's bookshop’

Director Douglas Mackinnon is also returning for the new series.

Published: 29 Jun 2021