Author: Matt Whyman
Series: no
Genres: nonfiction
Short summary of the story: This is the story of the BBC production of Good Omens - the awesomely funny book written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It starts out with the writing of the book, a journey back to when Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett knew each other and Neil had sent a bit of a story to Terry. A year later, Terry got hold of Neil and 'what is the rest of the story?' So they wrote it together. This book tells the rest of the story of the writing of the book and then the making of the BBC show. It tells of the story, the people who made the script, the actors, the making of the show, the places where the show was made - just a lot of things which add to the richness of watching the BBC show.
Good points / bad points: It wasn't long enough. See below -- so much was taken from the book! This is just a sample (which isn't a spoiler so I can include it).
Quote from the last pages of the book (with stills from the show illustrating the words):
GOD: Over the years a huge number of theological man hours have been spent debating the question: How Many Angels Can Dance on the Head of a Pin?
GOD: To answer it, we need information. Firstly, angels don't dance. It's one of the distinguishing characteristics that marks an angel. So, none.
At least, nearly none.
GOD: Aziraphale had learned to gavotte in a discreet gentlemen's club in Portland Place, in the late 1880s. After a while he had become fairly good at it, and was quite put out when, some decades, later, the gavotte went out of style for good. So providing the dance was a gavotte, the answer is a straightforward: one.
GOD: Then again, you might just as well ask how many demons can dance on the head of a pin. They're of the same original stock, after all. And at least demons dance. Now what you'd call good dancing, though.
GOD: But angels and demons aren't bound by physics. If you look from really close up, the only problem about dancing on the head of a pin is all those big gaps between electrons."
Quote from the book Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch:
"OVER THE YEARS a huge number of theological man-hours have been spent debating the famous question:
How Many Angels Can Dance on the Head of a Pin?
In order to arrive at an answer, the following facts must be taken into consideration:
Firstly, angels simply don’t dance. It’s one of the distinguishing characteristics that mark an angel. They may listen appreciatively to the Music of the Spheres, but they don’t feel the urge to get down and boogie to it. So, none.
At least, nearly none. Aziraphale had learned to gavotte in a discreet gentlemen’s club in Portland Place, in the late 1880s, and while he had initially taken to it like a duck to merchant banking, after a while he had become quite good at it, and was quite put out when, some decades later, the gavotte went out of style for good.
So providing the dance was a gavotte, and providing that he had a suitable partner (also able, for the sake of argument, both to gavotte, and to dance it on the head of a pin), the answer is a straightforward one.
Then again, you might just as well ask how many demons can dance on the head of a pin. They’re of the same original stock, after all. And at least they dance.
And if you put it that way, the answer is, quite a lot actually, providing they abandon their physical bodies, which is a picnic for a demon. Demons aren’t bound by physics. If you take the long view, the universe is just something small and round, like those water-filled balls which produce a miniature snowstorm when you shake them. But if you look from really close up, the only problem about dancing on the head of a pin is all those big gaps between electrons.
For those of angel stock or demon breed, size, and shape, and composition, are simply options."
The Goodreads write-up -
The ultimate TV companion book to Good Omens, a massive new television launch on Amazon Prime Video and the BBC for 2019.
The ultimate TV companion book to Good Omens, a massive new television launch on Amazon Prime Video and the BBC for 2019, written and show-run by Neil Gaiman and adapted from the internationally beloved novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Based on the cult classic novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens is one of the most hotly anticipated TV shows of 2019. Reinvented for television with scripts by Neil himself, and featuring a stellar cast including David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Jack Whitehall and Miranda Richardson, to name but a few, this major TV show will be shown first on Amazon Prime Video and then on the BBC later in the year.
Keep calm, because The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion is your ultimate guide to the upcoming apocalypse, which is scheduled to happen on a Saturday, just after tea. The series sees an angel (Sheen) and a demon (Tennant) team up in order to try and sabotage the end of the world...
Featuring incredible photographs, stunning location shots, costume boards, set designs and fascinating character profiles and in-depth interviews with the stars and crew, this behind-the-scenes look into the making of Good Omens is an absolute must for fans old and new - and will shatter coffee tables around the world.
