The Night Manager to return for two new seasons with Tom Hiddleston

The Night Manager season 2: the original cast of the first season posing together
The Night Manager is back for two more rounds. (Image credit: BBC)

The Night Manager is getting not one but two new series starring Tom Hiddleston.

Hiddleston is reprising his role as Jonathan Pine, a former military officer who was tasked with taking down Hugh Laurie's character Richard Roper in season one.

Speaking about his return, he said: "The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on. The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect. 

"I'm so looking forward to reuniting with Simon and Stephen Cornwell, David Farr and Stephen Garrett, and to working with Georgi Banks-Davies to tell the next chapter of our story. I can't wait."

The first season was a roaring success, premiering on BBC One in 2016 where it received critical acclaim and picked up 11 awards including two Emmys (for director Bier and music composer Victor Reyes) and three Golden Globe Awards (for Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Laurie).

We know that The Night Manager season 2 will pick up eight years after the explosive finale, with filming on the project commencing this year.

BAFTA winner Georgi Banks-Davies (Paper Girls) is attached to direct all six episodes of series two, with Hugh Laurie taking on an executive producer role on the upcoming series. David Farr is on writing duties.

Elizabeth Debicki and Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager

Jonathan found himself drawn towards Roper's fiancé Jed Marshall (Elizabeth Debicki) in season 1. (Image credit: BBC)

David Farr said: "John le Carré's work has long been an inspiration to me and working closely with him on Season 1 was an honour and a pleasure. I did not tread lightly into extending The Night Manager beyond the original book, but an idea came to me a couple of years ago which felt truthful to that unique world of dark corners and shady identities. No one marries the suspense of espionage with a deep exploration of the human soul quite like le Carré.

"I hope that in some way we can pay homage to his uneasy genius in this new exploration. I am thrilled to be working again with Tom Hiddleston, Stephen Garrett and The Ink Factory team, and to be welcoming the brilliant director Georgi Banks-Davies into our ranks."

We don't know when The Night Manager season 2 will arrive on our screens, but we'll be patiently waiting...

The Night Manager season 1 is available on demand via iPlayer in the UK and Prime Video in the US.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress