You needn’t be a Whovian to know that Dr. Who lore plays an outsized role in Amazon’s new series Good Omens. You’d be entirely correct to conclude that there’s no coincidence int the fact that:
- Good Omens author and showrunner Neil Gaiman wrote three Dr. Who episodes;
- Actor Mark Gattis (playing a Nazi spy) wrote nine Dr. Who episodes and starred in some;
- David Tennant, who plays Crowley/Crawley, portrayed the 10th doctor for four years;
- In fact, at the nun’s hospital, a character refers to Crowley’s character as “Doctor”:
- Co-star Michael Sheen voiced House in one Dr. Who episode (written by Gaiman). Similarly, Derek Jacobi, the Metatron, also appeared as a professor in Dr. Who, as did actors David Morrissey, Brian Cox (Death’s voice) and Bill Paterson;
- Good Omens director Douglas Mackinnon directed eight Dr. Who episodes;
- Numerous cars throughout the show display the license plate: SID RAT. That’s Tardis spelled backwards;
- Whilst Tennant’s Crowley is casting about for another world to which to escape, one of the pages that flies around him reads “Gallifrey”, Dr. Who’s homeworld;
- Newton Pulsifer (played by Jack Whitehall) sports a tie that is identical to the Fourth Doctor’s scarf;
- One of the friends of Adam Young uses the Dalek catchphrase: “Exterminate” while playing;
- A car license plate also reads “But no Daleks”
Crowley’s flat is alleged to have a number of Dr. Who references. In the first episode, Crowley mentions a banana (remember that from The Girl in the Fireplace episode?) And when Aziraphale declares “I like pears…!” you can’t help but recall Tennant’s Doctor Who’s “I hate pears!” monologue.
And when Tennant/Crowley enters Aziraphale’s burning bookshop, he snaps his fingers to open and close the doors, as if it were the TARDIS. In fact, there are enough Dr. Who references that the Good Omens’ creators have challenged fans to find them all. Are there any that we missed?