Crowley is dragged to a trial in hell, with extinction the likely sentence. How will he work his way out of this one, and what about the end of the world?

It’s the final countdown! 16 minutes and it’ll all be over, and yet we know that somehow this isn’t how Terry and Neil’s satanic comedy will end… it just wouldn’t be right. And true to form, missiles aren’t launched and mushroom clouds don’t rise, because some brave children dare to stand up for themselves. Aziraphale and Crowley have been our guides through this splendid series, but the real heroes are the little people. Adam has come out the other side, choosing not to be the Antichrist, and puts Satan in his place for being an absent father.

I’m sure there are those who wanted a slam-bang fire and brimstone finale, but that’s not what this lovely morality tale has been about. Ultimately, it’s about friendship, love, not being told who you can play with, creating your own destiny and being true to yourself. The dispatching of three of the Horsemen by the feisty youngsters is very satisfying – Death understandably gets to die another day – and it’s fitting that the ever-increasing hysteria gets settled on a runway at an airforce base rather than in the heavens or down in the other place.

David Tennant’s swaggering Crowley and Michael Sheen’s Aziraphale are the glue that hold it together, and there’s a lovely final twist of fate thanks to Agnes Nutter’s prophecies. But if these two are rightly the focus of the show’s PR activity, that would ignore the spirited turns by the sizeable supporting cast and roster of guest cameos.

Verdict: The episode signs off with the dedication ‘For Terry’, and it’s very likely that you’ll be nursing a tear or two as Tori Amos’ rendition of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square swells over the end credits. The best Neil Gaiman adaptation to date? The best Terry Pratchett adaptation to date? Find me proof otherwise. It’s been a delight spending six crazy hours in this universe, chuckling, hooting and occasionally gasping. Now where’s that flaming sword? 9/10

Nick Joy