Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, pratchett and gaiman's 'good omens' gets radio dramatization, entertainment

Pratchett and Gaiman’s ‘Good Omens’ Gets Radio Dramatization

The first ever radio dramatization of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s apocalyptic novel Good Omens is coming to BBC Radio 4 this December, and will be voiced by an exceptional cast.

Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere received a BBC radio dramatization in 2013 featuring none other than Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, and Christopher Leeamong the cast of voice actors, and was praised by critics and audience alike. Good Omens is being produced by the same team behind this successful adaptation, and is set to air in December 2014. It will be broadcast over the course of a week in six different parts, so listeners will be treated to five half-hour episodes that will culminate in an hour-long final episode. According to the BBC, Gwyneth Williams, Controller, BBC Radio 4 said that “The Radio 4 audience loved Neverwhere and Good Omens will be a splendid Christmas treat.”

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and published in 1990, immediately becoming a favorite among fans of the fantasy genre. It is a story about the apocalypse, but grim as that subject may sound, in the hands of Pratchett and Gaiman the end of the world becomes a hilarious adventure. After the birth of the son of Satan and a prophecy predicting the end of days, the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley overcome their differences and team up in order to avert the coming apocalypse. Pratchett and Gaiman planned the novel together over lengthy phone conversations, and shared their writing by mailing floppy disks (remember floppy disks?) back and forth.

Cdnds. Net
The cast, courtesy of cdnds.net

Dirk Maggs, best known for his adaptation of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, will be adapting and directing the radio dramatization along with producer Heather Larmour and, of course, Neil Gaiman himself. Even more exciting is the cast, which looks like it will rival the talented voices behind Good Omens. First of all, Merlin fans rejoice! Colin Morgan will be voicing Newton Pulsifer, whose character description is as follows: “if he went into a phone booth and changed, he might manage to come out looking like Clark Kent.” I don’t know about you, but I think everyone’s favorite dork of a magician will be perfect for the role. Now, if only Colin Morgan and Benedict Cumberbatch could appear in the same BBC radio adaptation, all of our dreams could come true.

The Merlin star will be joined by Josie Lawrence as Agnes Nutter and Paterson Joseph as Famine, as well as Game of Thrones actor Clive Russell, Julia Deakin, Louise Brealey, Simon Jones, Arsher Ali, Phil Davis, and Mark Benton. We also know that the two lead roles of Aziraphale and Crowley will be voiced by Mark Heap (Spaced) and Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy), respectively. And, on top of all that, we can expect to hear cameo appearances from both Pratchett and Gaiman themselves.

The only downside is that we’ll have to wait until December to finally hear this dramatization. The date can’t come soon enough!