I’m Tom Hiddleston, and this is why The Night Manager is back and needed in an ever-more uncertain and fragmented world

by

Jonathan Pine, the central character in The Night Manager, first appeared on BBC television nearly a decade ago. Created by the late John le Carré, Pine is a former British soldier who now manages luxury hotels. He’s recruited by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to become a field agent for MI6. His assignment: to get close to Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) and infiltrate his organization.

Roper was a British businessman who made a fortune – around $300 million – by illegally selling weapons, including dangerous chemical ones, to anyone who could afford them. These weapons were destined to harm innocent civilians, even children. Author John le Carré famously described Roper as “the worst man in the world.” Roper represented a deeply cynical and corrupt side of Britain that Pine – and le Carré – strongly opposed, a vision of the country they couldn’t accept or believe would ultimately succeed.

Jonathan Pine’s mission was to gather intelligence on Roper’s illegal activities and report it to his superiors. This required him to be deceptive, keep secrets, and adopt various disguises to hide the truth. He was forced to manipulate and betray others, knowing that even a small mistake – a careless word or action – could cost him his life.

After a dangerous and costly journey, Pine managed to return Roper to those who held him captive by the end of the first season. As a result, the planned illegal weapons deal fell through, and Roper didn’t receive his $300 million. In essence, Pine had overcome a significant challenge and saved the day.

The new season picks up a decade later, both in the story and in real time. These have been complicated years, marked by increasing global instability. Jonathan Pine is still working as the Night Manager, now leading a surveillance team for MI6 called “the Night Owls.” He monitors suspicious individuals moving through London’s high-end hotels and casinos, looking for potential threats to national security. It’s a relatively calm, observational role, but he remains watchful, involved, and continues to work primarily at night, operating from the shadows – still the Night Manager.

Jonathan Pine’s intense curiosity and need to understand the truth haven’t faded, but he’s no longer known by that name. Officially, his past has been wiped clean, and he now lives under the identity of Alex Goodwin. This was done to protect him – his true identity, history, and the pain he’s endured are all hidden. The trauma he experienced remains buried deep inside, a dangerous secret. Even in his dreams, he’s still tormented by memories of Roper, like a knight forever haunted by a terrifying dragon.

Alex Goodwin was drifting in and out of sleep one night when he spotted a former Roper mercenary, triggering a new mission. Pine immediately sensed something was wrong – the familiar smell of dragon smoke signaled corruption and deceit – and knew he had to investigate. Driven by curiosity, he begins to pursue a new enemy, Teddy Dos Santos, and cautiously considers Roxana Bolaños as a possible ally. This renewed involvement pulls him into a dangerous world of lies and betrayal in Colombia.

Pine will need to transform himself again, this time becoming Matthew Ellis. Ellis is a wealthy, fast-talking, and somewhat reckless financier who loves to spend money. This new role will once again test Pine’s acting ability – his skill at disguising himself and getting close to his targets. Dealing with Teddy and Colombia will be a dangerous challenge, a complex game of attraction, deception, and potentially deadly consequences.

Working on the first season of The Night Manager, directed by Susanne Bier, was a career highlight. It was incredibly rewarding to bring John le Carré’s detailed and captivating spy story to life, and playing such a thoughtful and layered character was a true privilege as an actor.

Working on the second series, directed by Georgi Banks-Davies, felt as good as – or even better than – making the first one. It all started with an idea from David Farr, who originally adapted ‘The Night Manager’ for television. He had a sudden image that sparked the idea for another series and made it impossible to dismiss.

David Farr developed the idea because of the way time passes. Jonathan Pine, driven by strong moral outrage and hidden personal struggles, lived through the events of the last decade as they happened. He experienced everything we did, but from within the world of intelligence.

Georgi, David, and I were all intrigued by Pine’s weakness. We wondered what could wound someone so brave, skilled, and capable. And whether that vulnerability is what motivates him, but also causes him to make mistakes.

Returning to the role of Jonathan Pine after a decade – a decade that’s passed for both him and me – I’m struck by how much we’ve both changed. We’ve each gained ten years of life experience, carrying a few more emotional and physical scars. Yet, I still find his strong moral compass and ability to bounce back incredibly inspiring; his strength and perseverance are truly remarkable.

After the initial episodes of the show aired, I had the good fortune of getting to know John le Carré, or David Cornwell as he was known privately. We both lived in London and often ran into each other while walking in our local park. He kindly invited me to his home for dinner one evening, and I spent hours listening to his fascinating thoughts on global affairs. He shared a story that hinted at potential Russian aggression towards the eastern borders of the European Union, a warning that, sadly, proved prescient four years later with the invasion of Ukraine.

John le Carré passed away in December 2020, but before he died, he expressed his strong belief in his sons, Simon and Stephen Cornwell, and their production company, The Ink Factory (known for The Night Manager), to continue his stories. He encouraged them to build on his legacy. Over the years since, I’ve felt incredibly lucky to have known him and to have been welcomed into the worlds he created. When making this second series, I often thought of our conversations and tried to honor his vision.

Something really special happened a few years ago – John le Carré and his sons collaborated with Errol Morris on a documentary called The Pigeon Tunnel. As a film buff, I have to say it’s brilliant. What’s so fascinating is that le Carré wasn’t just the subject; he was really opening up, almost confessing, about his life – both the things that actually happened and the worlds he created in his fiction. He delved into his upbringing, his time in the intelligence services – MI5 and MI6 – which he called ‘the secret world,’ and what really drove his writing: things like trust, how people are seduced, and, of course, betrayal. It’s a really insightful look into the mind of a master storyteller.

John le Carré created the character Jonathan Pine as a man who truly comes alive when facing danger – he actually thrives on it. Pine expresses his deepest self by becoming someone else, adopting different personas. His biggest struggle is maintaining his own identity and moral compass, ensuring he doesn’t lose himself in the process.

Spy stories, particularly those by John le Carré, often explore the idea of identity. They make us wonder who we truly are beneath the personas we present to the world, and whether there’s a core self at all. Spies, who live by deception, naturally raise these questions. As an actor, I see parallels – I also play different roles. However, the key difference is that I can shed those roles at the end of the day. I return to my genuine life, with meaningful relationships and responsibilities that ground me in reality.

Want to see this content?

We can’t display this content because of a security check from Google reCAPTCHA. To see it, please sign out of your Contentpass account.

A spy operates completely alone, with no personal connections, and must act perfectly, even if they’re the only one aware it’s an act. It’s a strange paradox – the more a spy deceives others, the closer they might get to the truth. As my colleague, Diego Calva, so aptly put it: “You lie to survive, but only the truth will ultimately set you free.”

John le Carré doesn’t just examine individual identity; he also delves into what defines a nation and the often complicated nature of patriotism. In the second series of The Night Manager, a high-ranking intelligence officer named Rex Mayhew (Douglas Hodge) argues that a country’s security services are a genuine reflection of its core values.

What core values and beliefs are driving our security and intelligence agencies? Is there a shared understanding of what those values are? Ultimately, what does this nation represent? Without a clear set of principles, we become vulnerable to any influence.

Jonathan Pine is a man of principle. When Angela Burr first enlisted his help ten years ago to expose Richard Roper’s criminal activities, a deep sense of purpose ignited within him – a conviction that will likely stay with him for the rest of his life.

Now that Pine has this powerful fire, can he control it, or will it overwhelm him? He’s determined to go to his absolute limit as a dragon slayer, but how much can he risk before it’s too much?

The Night Manager season 2 premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on New Year’s Day.

Authors

Tom Hiddleston

Read More

2025-12-29 20:49