Backstage With... David Tennant and Michael Sheen on nerve curves, Good Omens, and Doctor Who

David Tennant has admitted he didn't really cognize what he was getting into erstwhile he signed up to play The demon Crowley in Good Omens, a bid based connected The cult favourite book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

As it's a caller beloved by its fans, location was a definite magnitude of unit that came pinch The part, though Tennant told Sky News' Backstage podcast he hadn't rather realised that erstwhile he sewage The gig.

The Doctor Who character stars in The bid alongside Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm and Miranda Richardson.

"My nervus curve was beautiful exponential because I wasn't - dissimilar Michael - I didn't really cognize The world of, The fandom of The book, someway it had passed maine by," he said, in an question and reply alongside Sheen earlier The actors' onslaught was announced.

"Then I was doing The show and it was thrilling and past I would support gathering people, immoderate of whom were in The cast, who would go: 'This book I've publication each twelvemonth of my life, it's The astir important communicative to me'.

"And past of course, you commencement realising this precious point that you transportation and The work and truthful yes, past it was alarmingly scary that you mightiness break immoderate dreams."

Sheen interjects, asking his co-star: "And how's your nervus curve now?"

"I'm beautiful chill," says Tennant.

"I saw it The different day, it looks marvellous," Sheen replies.

This benignant of ray teasing is emblematic of The pair, who besides worked together connected The drama Staged, in which they play fictionalised versions of themselves, and stock a genuine friendship.

This is replicated in Good Omens, pinch Tennant's demon Crowley The improbable champion pal of Sheen's angel Aziraphale.

Sheen says their narration is astatine The bosom of what he loves astir being connected The show.

"You Can person a characteristic that you bask playing and that you really love, but it's benignant of uncommon that you person a move betwixt 2 characters that conscionable is The point that useful truthful well," he said.

"That past makes The full process very enjoyable because you don't consciousness for illustration you're having to make worldly yourself each The time, it conscionable happens... arsenic we're in scenes together it conscionable happens - because it's written truthful brilliantly arsenic well, obviously, that's The main thing."

"They only really beryllium arsenic a unit," Tennant adds. "That's erstwhile they travel to life, and that's really nosy to play."

While an angel and a demon mightiness sound for illustration opposites, Good Omens looks astatine The grey areas - The truth that Crowley is much well-intentioned than you mightiness expect from a demon, and vice versa for Aziraphale.

Human behaviour is besides up for inspection - in The first section of The 2nd series, Crowley admits he doesn't person to activity excessively difficult to origin problem arsenic humanity messes things up good enough.

"There's a batch of awesome things to observe in humankind aren't there, but we don't get it each right, and Crowley likes to return in installments for a batch of The things that we get wrong," says Tennant.

"But I deliberation that's 1 of The things astir this story. It's benignant of celebrating - I mean, these are 2 supernatural beings, but they're much quality than The humans - and it's celebrating The benignant of diverseness of that, it's looking for communal crushed betwixt us."

Sheen agrees: "Our top vexation arsenic a type is besides our redeeming grace, which is that we are flawed. And it's only erstwhile we for illustration to dress that we're not that we get into trouble, I deliberation it's erstwhile we woody in absolutes and black-and-white that we get into trouble.

"When we are capable to judge our flaws and our messiness, past that ever leads to reaching retired and being inclusive and connecting."

Good Omens isn't The only fan-favourite spot Tennant is progressive pinch astatine The moment. He's The first character to return to The domiciled of Doctor Who, playing The clip traveller for 3 episodes and a festive typical later this twelvemonth earlier Sex Education prima Ncuti Gatwa takes over.

Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts

Tennant returns on pinch writer and executive shaper Russell T Davies, pinch expectations precocious for The caller era of The long-standing sci-fi.

"Oh, it's lovely, lovely," Tennant says of his return. "And very breathtaking for wherever that show's going, Russell T Davies backmost in and Ncuti Gatwa who is conscionable a benignant of unit of nature.

"And it's very bully to person a small revisit for myself in amongst each that excitement and awesome early that that show's sewage - it conscionable keeps reinventing itself."

Good Omens bid 2 is retired connected Prime Video - perceive our reappraisal in The latest section of Backstage, The movie and TV podcast from Sky News