This feature was first published in 2023.
One night in a hotel room in Seattle in the early 1990s, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, who co-wrote the novel Good Omens, made a plan for how they would bring their beloved tale to TV.
Almost three decades later and, tragically, four years after Pratchett’s death, season 1 of the TV adaptation starring David Tennant as demon Crowley and Michael Sheen as angel Aziraphale, premiered on Prime Video to widespread acclaim.
Fans pored over every scene and quickly noticed the many references and homages to Pratchett – from his hat and scarf taking pride of place in Aziraphale’s bookshop to how his wishes were honoured in the scripts.
Now, the show is about to end with a 90-minute finale, it’s clear it’s a lasting homage to the legendary author.
After Pratchett’s death, his wishes have lived on, as he has a representative in Rob Wilkins who worked first as the author’s personal assistant and later as his business manager.
Nowadays, Wilkins has the title of Pratchett’s “representative on Earth”, making completely sure that the author’s wishes are being honoured. Early on in production, he’s sent every script and he’s present on set to talk things through with Gaiman.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Wilkins explained: “If I said I was here to make sure Terry’s voice was heard, that’s wrong because Terry’s voice is here, it’s everywhere. My presence is Terry’s presence and that’s what I bring to the set.”
He adds: “He would be most proud of the detail and the love that is compressed into this that everybody puts into it and it’s lovely to see that everybody respects the written word and here we are turning the written word into this.”
Taking us through the Dirty Donkey pub on set, Wilkins also shows us one of his favourite details – a portrait of Pratchett which takes pride of place.
“Witchfinder General Pratchett!” he declares. “With a brandy in his hand, a hat on his head. That’s how he should be. That was a surprise. I didn’t know that was happening until it was there and it’s really quite emotional, so Terry’s not just here in spirit, he’s actually here.”
It’s not just the portrait in the pub – Pratchett is everywhere on set if you look for him.
Fans are well aware of his hat and scarf, which are proudly displayed in Aziraphale’s bookshop on a hat stand.
Set designer Michael Ralph tells us: “This is Terry’s hat and Terry’s scarf. Everyday we film here it’s left in the shop, and it’s always put in a safe at night. But it’s always there.”
There are smaller references too. In the coffee shop, Give Me Coffee…Or Give Me Death, producer Sarah-Kate Fenelon points out, amid a sea of graffiti, the name Terry scrawled on the wall.
Meanwhile, the stars of the show have also revealed that Pratchett is a big presence on set.
Tennant previously told Digital Spy: “We were always talking about Terry Pratchett and how Terry Pratchett had written half of the original novel and who desperately wanted this to happen. This was, in a sense, a dying wish of his, to bring this to the screen.”
Maggie Service, star of season 2, also gave us an insight into how Pratchett’s present is felt on set.
“Yeah, he’s always around,” she said. “Again, the first day of filming around the monitors was his hat on his chair, so – it’s giving me goosebumps! He was there and he is there.
“It’s extraordinary. I never got the chance to meet him, but Rob Wilkins, who’s his official representative on Earth – that is his classic, brilliant, perfect title – he’s just really aware of making sure that Terry is a part of it.”
She added: “It was Neil and Terry’s universe in the beginning, they created it together and now we only have Neil, who is made of magic, so it’s pretty good – there’s no undersell here – but it’s important that it’s always both of their worlds because, just what a magnificent thing to put those two brains together. Aren’t we all lucky?”
Good Omens season 3 will be available to watch on Prime Video from 13 May – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days.
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