David Farr’s Vision for The Night Manager

For screenwriter David Farr, the revival of The Night Manager feels like a dream come true. “I hadn’t considered the show for five years until a vivid image struck me one night while I was in bed,” he recalls. “I envisioned a boy in a Colombian monastery waiting for a black car. I intuitively recognized these characters. Suddenly, I was awake, and a flood of ideas emerged, which I quickly documented. To my surprise, I thought, ‘This is actually good.’”

A Special Return

The excitement surrounding the return of The Night Manager, despite a decade-long hiatus, is a testament to its remarkable quality and appeal. Its comeback is poised to become the most talked-about show of 2026.

The Impact of the 2016 Debut

The original series, which premiered in 2016, was adapted from John le Carré’s 1993 novel, following hotelier-turned-spy Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) as he infiltrated arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), dubbed “the worst man in the world.” Farr’s ambitious adaptation drew in 10 million viewers and was sold to 180 countries, with the lead actors, including Olivia Colman, receiving Golden Globes for their performances. However, there was one hurdle: there was no sequel source material.

Farr’s Approach and Le Carré’s Blessing

“I’ve admired Le Carré since watching Smiley’s People with my dad at age 10,” Farr shares. “The challenge of adapting The Night Manager left me apprehensive, but I had clear ideas, like setting it against the Arab Spring, which Le Carré appreciated. Initially, we planned for it to be a standalone show, but the immense success kindled interest in a sequel, though I wasn’t eager to pursue it. I didn’t want to ruin a good thing.”

A New Beginning After a Decade

Years later, Farr had a groundbreaking dream. “Le Carré, who passed in 2020, supported a second season, which was crucial,” he notes. “Like me, Tom was cautious about re-entering this world. Once he agreed to return, we were set to go.” Hiddleston expressed his excitement about revisiting Pine after a decade of personal experiences, stating, “Returning to this character, carrying my own experiences from the last ten years, was exhilarating.”

Returning to Action

The plot kicks off with Pine in flashback meeting his former handler Angela Burr (Colman) to identify a body. Presently, he serves as director of MI6’s covert unit, “Night Owls.” “Pine wouldn’t revert to a normal life,” Hiddleston explains. “The errant knight, driven by moral outrage, needed to remain active. Once he glimpsed the darker truths, returning was off the table.”

Complexities of the New World

The narrative becomes darker when Pine uncovers a former associate of Roper’s now working for South American drug cartels, including arms dealer Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). With the operation shrouded in deception, Pine struggles to differentiate friend from foe. Setting the story against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, the new series attributes alarming relevance to its themes, reflecting on arms deals and modern complexities in foreign policy.

The Night Manager premieres on BBC One on New Year’s Day at 9.05pm.