Yahoo News Good Omens' Neil Gaiman defends casting David Tennant's father-in-law and son
Good Omens fans have had to wait a long time for the show's second season – and ahead of its return in July, co-creator Neil Gaiman has responded to some criticism of the decision to cast two of David Tennant's family members in the programme.
Former Doctor Who star Peter Davison, who is David's father-in-law, and David and Georgia Tennant's son Ty, whose previous acting credits include House of the Dragon, were announced to join the series earlier this year.
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Responding directly to an anonymous Tumblr user's comments, Neil confirmed that Peter had been directly offered a part in season two, and that he'd genuinely been unaware that Ty was a member of the Tennant family when the decision was made to cast him.
"I thought we were lucky to get Peter Davison in Good Omens 2," he wrote, adding: "(He didn't audition. We offered him the part, as I've been a fan of his since 1978, and All Creatures Great and Small.
"(He crushes it, and is heartbreaking, funny, and still somehow the moral compass of the episode he's in.)."
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Gaiman continued: "Ty Tennant auditioned, along with a number of other actors, and got the part because he did it best. (I didn't know who his family was when we cast him. I just liked the audition tape.)"
The Sandman author added: "I'm sorry you're worried about Peter and Ty's performances, although I promise you have nothing to worry about."
Gaiman added that in 2017 he received "mind-mangling quantities of Tumblr abuse" for the casting of Tennant and Michael Sheen as Crowley and Aziraphale in Good Omens, because "neither of them looked like the versions in people's heads".
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Previously, Gaiman was asked if Georgia Tennant, David's wife, or Anna Lundberg, Michael's partner, would appear in Good Omens.
He said that Anna was pregnant during season 2 filming and was "being wisely away from people during Covid times". He added that Georgia had been offered a part, but chose not to accept "for reasons that reflect incredibly well on her".
Gaiman noted that Georgia had researched the role as "she would have been playing a historical person, and told us that the part should go to an actress much older than herself. And we did the same research she did and realised that she was right."
Good Omens season 1 is streaming now on Prime Video, where season 2 will premiere on July 28.
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