BBC announces return of huge drama eight years after explosive season one finale

The Night Manager is returning to screens eight years after it first aired in 2016, the BBC has announced. The first series of the drama won multiple Baftas, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globes and was watched by more than 10m viewers in the UK making it one of 2016's most-watched TV shows.

The show is inspired by the characters in John le Carré's best-selling novel and stars Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine. The Night Manager will once again be written by series creator David Farr while Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie will be executive producers on the two new series.

The new series will pick up with Pine eight years after the explosive finale of season one. Hiddleston 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."

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Farr added: "John le Carré's work has long been an inspiration to me and working closely with him on season one 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."

Series one of The Night Manager is available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Prime Video globally. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.