Good Omens, a darkly satirical story about the apocalypse, doesn’t feel like an obvious choice for Christmas entertainment. Yet here we are, waiting with bated breath for its long-awaited BBC radio adaptation to air over the holiday period. As a much-beloved novel by fantasy icons Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens is so popular that it would probably be touted as the next Game of Thrones if it were adapted for TV. A radio serial is admittedly a more niche production, but this BBC version—complete with actors from Sherlock, Merlin, and Guardians of the Galaxy—is undeniably exciting.
As icing on the cake, the Good Omens radio adaptation includes a cameo scene with Gaiman and Pratchett themselves. The two authors play a pair of police officers who haplessly pursue the black Bentley containing the angel Crowley and demon Aziraphale. You can listen to it below, courtesy of the BBC.
Gaiman and Pratchett have also been sharing some Good Omens photos on Twitter, including Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap as Aziraphale and Crowley.
Something lovely from the Hogfather ; http://t.co/baQAmxZ1ry pic.twitter.com/CQbgn4Pirx
— Terry Pratchett 🖤 🤍 (@terryandrob) November 27, 2014
I have borrowed Aziraphale's flaming sword to let you know that Good Omens starts on Dec 22nd on BBC Radio 4. Look! pic.twitter.com/ST81u6tnBv
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) November 27, 2014
The U.K. seems determined to corner the market on geeky Christmas entertainment, from the annual Doctor Who holiday episode to Good Omens to the somewhat bizarre idea of a Christmas special for the dark science-fiction series Black Mirror. Apparently, after an overdose of holiday cheer, it’s almost therapeutic to sit back, relax, and listen to a six-part radio drama where one of the main characters is the Antichrist.Photo via TerryandRob/Twitter