Anansi Boys: Watch as Whoopi Goldberg records special message for fans from Edinburgh set of Anansi Boys

Lenny Henry, left, Whoopi Goldberg,  centre, and Neil Gaiman, right, recorded a message for fans from the set of Anansi Boys in Edinburgh.

The American actress, 66, has been cast in the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2005 fantasy novel, which is currently filming at FirstStage Studios in Leith.

The star of blockbusters like The Color Purple, Ghost and Sister Act will star opposite Malachi Kirby and Delroy Lindo in the six-episode series from Amazon Studios.

With the help of Lenny Henry and Gaiman, Goldberg recorded a short video for The View, which has been shared on YouTube.

The clip starts with comedian and actor Henry joking: “Hello, my name is Whoopi Goldberg. I'm here in Edinburgh with Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry – and boy are we having a good time!”

He then prompts Goldberg, who says: “Yes we are having a great time. We were shooting Anansi Boys. You know, I wrote it...”

Gaiman then chips in, saying: “Hi, I'm Neil Gaiman and I'm here with Whoopi Goldberg and Lenny Henry and we're making Anansi Boys.

"Thank you to everybody who agreed to lend us Whoopi Goldberg… we will give her back!”

Earlier this month, Goldberg was snapped as shge dined at Cafe Royal Edinburgh, a bar and restaurant on West Register Street.

The restaurant took to Twitter, where they posted a photograph of the star smiling as she posed with staff members.

The managers were clearly won over with the Hollywood actress, as the photo’s caption read: “The lovely Whoopi Goldberg paid us a visit today!”

In Anansi Boys, Goldberg will play the role of Bird Woman, God of Birds, who exists within The World Before Time.

The story follows the sons of Mr Nancy, an incarnation of West African trickster god Anansi, as they discover one another and embark on an adventure.

Lindo plays Anansi while Kirby takes on the role of both sons – Fat Charlie and Spider.

The narrative will travel from contemporary London to Florida, the Caribbean and the mythical World Before Time, which is described as “a place of incredible beauty, magic and danger”.

One of the key antagonists, Goldberg’s Bird Woman is the embodiment of all birds, from stately breeds to aggressive seagulls, and was wronged by Anansi long ago.

She said: “I have been a fan of this book for a very long time and when Neil Gaiman told me it was being brought to the screen, I did everything I could to be part of it to help make people aware of Anansi and all his magic.”

Gaiman, who is also showrunner and executive producer, said: “When I first conceived Anansi Boys, decades ago, I imagined Whoopi Goldberg as Bird Woman.

“I wasn’t able to meet her until 2018, when she interviewed me with some of the Good Omens team at New York Comic Con.

“At which point she mentioned that she had just finished listening to Sir Lenny Henry’s reading of Anansi Boys, and that it was one of her favourite books.

“Sometimes things feel planned and inevitable, and we are incredibly lucky. She’s going to be scary.”