The Night Manager

Being a hotel night manager is usually a boring job. One or two guests check in and that’s about all that happens. But that’s not the case in new limited-series spy drama The Night Manager (2016). So what’s all the fuss about?

Firstly, it stars Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston. This is Hugh’s first major TV role since his popular medical drama series House (2004-2012) ended, while Tom’s been busy on the bigscreen in the Thor (2011-current) and Avengers (2012-current) movies as Norse god Loki. The eight-episode series is based on the famous 1993 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré. This isn’t his first novel to be turned into a TV show or movie either – there was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as a TV series in 1979 as well as the 2011 movie, plus A Most Wanted Man in 2014. Tom plays Jonathan Pine, a former soldier who’s now the night manager at a hotel. Simple role, right? Not really – Jon’s been recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of illegal arms dealer Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie. You’ll also recognise David Harewood, who played FBI boss David Estes from 2011 to 2012 in Homeland (2011-current) and Tom Hollander, best known as Lord Cutler Beckett in Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest (2006) and At World’s End (2007). While info about the show’s been kept under lock and key, Tom has hinted that we’re in for a wild ride. “I could not be more excited. Jonathan is a thrilling prospect, a most mysterious and complex kind of British hero.” Hugh adds, “I’m honoured to have the frontest of front row seats. All the moving parts are finely machined – we [the actors] just have to not mess it up.”