Today, May 1st, marks 30 years since Good Omens first hit shelves. The bestselling fantasy novel from the much-missed Sir Terry Pratchett and the one and only Neil Gaiman has entertained readers for decades, and was finally adapted to the screen with just as much success last year. The Amazon/BBC co-production also landed in May, so this month is a double birthday celebration. And that’s why a special new short has been created featuring the return of Aziraphale and Crowley.
The fan-pleasing 3-minute video sees Michael Sheen and David Tennant reprise their roles – via voiceover – as the angel and the demon who managed to avert the apocalypse at the end of the show. Having remained on Earth, though, they’ve now found themselves caught in the global lockdown over the COVID-19 outbreak, and they’re having a mixed time keeping themselves occupied.
In a great twist that shows how Crowley isn’t all that demonic and Aziraphale isn’t as angelic as you might think, Crowley can’t be bothered to cause any misery as the world is miserable enough as it is, while Aziraphale is having a whale of time catching up on his reading and baking cakes instead of dishing out miracles. The video ends with an adorable suggestion from Crowley that they quarantine together, but it seems Aziraphale’s not yet ready for this next step in their relationship.
Officially – and simply – titled Good Omens: Lockdown, the short was written by Gaiman himself, with the accompanying visuals – depicting Aziraphale’s bookshop – directed by Douglas McKinnon. Enjoy it, kids, as this is likely the last bit of Good Omens content we’ll get for a while. Amazon is keen on making a second season, but Gaiman likes the idea of leaving it as a one-off, especially as the first season used up the plot of the one and only book.
Don’t feel bad if you’re just moping around the place or stuffing yourself with confectionery, though – even angels and demons do that, too.
