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2016 British television serial based on a novel by John le Carré From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Night Manager is a British spy thriller television serial based on the 1993 novel of the same name by John le Carré and adapted by David Farr.[1][2][3] The six-part first series, directed by Susanne Bier and starring Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander, David Harewood and Elizabeth Debicki, began broadcasting on BBC One on 21 February 2016. It has been sold internationally by IMG (now Fifth Season) to over 180 countries.[4][5]
| The Night Manager | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | |
| Based on | The Night Manager by John le Carré |
| Written by | David Farr |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Victor Reyes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Rob Bullock |
| Cinematography | Michael Snyman |
| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 21 February 2016 – present |
The Night Manager was nominated for thirty-six awards and won eleven, including two Primetime Emmy Awards (for director Bier and music composer Victor Reyes) [6][7] and three Golden Globe Awards (for Hiddleston, Colman, and Laurie).[8] In 2023, an Indian adaptation was released, starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala.[9] In April 2024, The Night Manager was renewed for a second and third series by BBC One and Amazon Prime Video, with Hiddleston confirmed to reprise his role and Georgi Banks-Davies directing.[10][11]
Jonathan Pine, night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo and former British soldier, is recruited by Angela Burr, the manager of a Foreign Office task force investigating illegal arms sales, to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper.
In January 2015 it was announced that the series would be co-produced by the BBC, AMC and The Ink Factory.[1] Onsite services were provided by Palma Pictures.
Filming began on 19 March 2015 in Zermatt, Switzerland.[14][15] Production then moved to London, UK. From 13 to 17 April 2015, location filming took place at Blackpool Mill Cottage, Hartland Abbey, and in and around Hartland, Devon.[16] On 20 April 2015, production moved to Marrakesh, Morocco. The Es Saadi Resort was used as the location for the fictional Nefertiti Hotel in Cairo.[17] At the end of May, production moved to Majorca, Spain; principal photography wrapped in Majorca on 3 July 2015.[18][19] Notable places include Port de Sóller, luxury property La Fortaleza in Port de Pollença and several locations in Palma.[20]
The author John le Carré makes a cameo appearance as an insulted restaurant diner in episode four.[21]
In February 2023, it was reported that the second series was in development with Hiddleston set to return.[22] In April 2024, it was announced that BBC and Amazon Prime Video has ordered a second and third series with Hiddleston returning in the lead role and Laurie as an executive producer.[10]
| No. | Title | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [23][lower-alpha 1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | 21 February 2016 | 10.18 | |
|
During the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Jonathan Pine is night manager of the Nefertiti Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. He becomes involved with Sophie Alekan, the mistress of a playboy, Freddie Hamid, from a wealthy and influential local family. Sophie gives Pine confidential documents that she wants copied, including a list of weapons and warfare chemicals, and correspondence between the Hamids' companies and Ironlast Limited. She tells him to keep them safe, and to pass them to his contacts if anything happens to her. Pine turns the documents over to the International Enforcement Agency in London, England. This information makes its way to intelligence officer Angela Burr, who has been working to try to bring down Richard Roper, an arms dealer. However, the information is somehow leaked to Roper, who pulls out of the deal with the Hamids. When Pine next sees Sophie, she is bruised and battered. Pine brings her to a safe house, and they become romantically involved. Pine confronts his contact over the leaked document, and demands that Sophie be given asylum. He is told that the Hamids have numerous friends in England, so it is recommended that Sophie returns to the Hamids. A short while later, Burr discovers who provided the documents to England, and contacts Pine to rescue Sophie. Pine rushes to her room, where he discovers Sophie dead. Four years later, Pine, who is now night manager of the Meisters Hotel in Zermatt, Switzerland, is told by the day manager to take care of late arriving guests, and to give them a parcel that is addressed to Roper, Ironlast's CEO. Roper and his entourage arrive late at night. After leaving Roper and his men to their room, Pine then vomits in a toilet downstairs, overwhelmed. Pine contacts Burr, and provides her with the information he obtained during Roper's stay. He says he wants nothing further to do with this, while Burr, seeing an opportunity to bring down Roper, wants Pine to help her investigation. When Pine balks, she cites Pine's tours of duty during the Iraq War and his witnessing what harm chemical weapons can inflict, as well as Sophie's murder. | ||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 28 February 2016 | 10.19 | |
|
Pine agrees to work with Burr, upon promise of a new identity for him afterwards, and is given non-official covers: Jack Linden and, later, Thomas Quince. As Linden, Pine spends time in Devon, England, establishing a violent cover identity. Later, Burr sends him to Spain, where Roper is meeting partners in relation to an arms deal. The operation to place Pine within Roper's organisation is named Limpet. In Majorca, Spain, an abduction of Roper's son Daniel is staged at a seaside restaurant. Pine, as Quince working as a chef, appears to free Daniel by confronting the attackers, who are in reality undercover agents. During the confrontation, Quince fractures one of the agent's arms "to make it look real", and one of the other abductors violently beats him in retaliation. The badly injured Quince is recognised by Roper as "Pine from Switzerland" and while grateful for the rescue, Roper remains sceptical. Quince is taken by Roper back to his villa to recover. Roper's henchman Corky confronts Pine about his criminal past and multiple identities, and Roper says he will soon learn who the wounded man is before he leaves with Pine opening his eyes and realising what's about to happen to him. In London, Burr works to keep the status of Operation Limpet secret from the "River House" (MI6), who she believes would disrupt the operation if they learn about it. | ||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 6 March 2016 | 9.74 | |
|
Roper questions Pine about his criminal past. Pine shares his crafted backstory, of which Roper has a dossier to match. Pine states that he is leaving, but Roper says his Quince cover is blown, and that he will have to stay and concoct another. In Madrid, Spain, Roper's lawyer Juan "Apo" Apostol hosts a birthday party for his daughter, Elena, which Roper and his entourage attend. Elena is found, having taken her own life by hanging herself. Burr finds a grieving Apo and attempts to gain his trust. From Daniel, Pine learns of Roper's secret study and its hidden key, and that an alarm test is done daily. Pine finds the key and, during the test in the study, photographs documents on Tradepass, Roper's agricultural equipment company which is a front. In the study, there is also a boxing jacket, implying Roper was once a boxer along with a chessboard and a book on Stalin. The next day, Roper presents Pine with a passport under the name Andrew Birch. However, Pine must do something for him in exchange. Roper gives him Corky's former job of control of Tradepass. Pine accepts his new name and role. In London, members of River House attempt to take control of Limpet from Burr's backer Rex Mayhew – he resists, even when offered a bribe. Later, another corrupt River House member meets Roper in Monaco, and tells him about the existence of Limpet. | ||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | 13 March 2016 | 9.61 | |
|
Roper gives Pine the details of his new identity and his plan to introduce him to willing financial supporters of Tradepass. He adds that the investors will not know where the money comes from, as the company will be registered in Cyprus and Geneva, Switzerland. At the IEA, Burr produces Tradepass documents and explains that Roper pays his investors 20-percent profit for backing Tradepass, but sells his purchased weapons for twice the amount. Commission is being paid to two codenames, Halo and Felix. Burr later learns that Halo is Dromgoole, who falsifies Ministry of Defence documents. Felix is Barbara Vandon, a CIA operative. Dromgoole suspects Apo to have leaked the Tradepass documents, and Apo is later found murdered. Meanwhile, Corky's suspicions about Pine and Roper's girlfriend Jed prove true when they have sex. She later calls him by his actual name over the phone, which reaches Burr who wants to pull him out. Pine tells her about a shipment of weapons crates in Istanbul that could amount to starting a war. When Burr refuses to listen, Pine tells Roper they are being watched and their team escapes from the IEA. Apo and his wife are later found in their home, the couple having been violently murdered. | ||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 20 March 2016 | 9.67 | |
|
During a flight to Turkey, Roper tells Pine that he knows that Burr has obtained the Tradepass documents, including those with written notes from Apo, which is why he is "no longer with us", implying he had them killed. Roper adds that he knows only four other people, including Pine, could have leaked the document before chillingly telling Pine that whoever it is, they're living on borrowed time. Arriving at a compound, called The Haven, mercenaries prepare to demonstrate the weapons to Roper. On a hill above a cleared village, he delights in seeing jets napalm it. Pine makes note of the convoy trucks disguised as aid trucks as they leave the compound. In London, Dromgoole contacts Burr to ask where she got the papers she took to Apo. She asks about Dromgoole's involvement with Roper. Dromgoole says he knows someone is on the inside for Limpet and warns her not to get in the way. Pine sneaks out of the compound to have his notes delivered to Burr but is caught by Corky upon returning. Meanwhile, with Pine having taken the power offline, Roper interrogates Jed, even going so far to physically slap and threaten her although he's interrupted by his henchmen urging him to come out as the fire appears to be deliberate. As soon as he leaves the tent Pine creeps in and urges Jed to lie to Roper, Jed revealing she was the one who took the photographs as she wanted to get an insight into the man she was sleeping with. A struggle between Corky and Pine results in Pine beating Corky to death just as Roper and his men arrive, Roper being told Corky may have met with someone outside the fence. Corky's remains are later buried at the mountain. Burr manages to request US military action against Roper's trucks at the Syrian border. However, when inspected, they contain merely agriculture equipment and foodstuffs. They all return to Cairo, where Roper contacts Freddie Hamid. In London, when Burr comes home, she finds the place ransacked and her husband, Gordon lying wounded on the floor. | ||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | 27 March 2016 | 9.90 | |
|
In London the Ministry begins disbanding the IEA office. In Egypt, the Tradepass team meets Hamid, whom Pine denies knowing, and strikes a deal for the weapons shipment. Meanwhile, Burr arrives at Cairo after receiving Pine's tip. Jed manages to get the code to Roper's safe for Pine, which he gives to Burr. She steals an envelope from it containing an owner registration certificate for Tradepass Holdings. At a casino, Pine spikes Hamid's drinks and escorts him home. He asks Hamid about Sophie's death; Hamid reveals that Roper had her killed because she refused to tell him who helped her. As a result, Pine strangles Hamid unconscious and drowns him in the pool. Using the certificate, Pine smuggles in a team to investigate the weapons cargo and rig them with explosives, before returning the envelope to Jed. While replacing it, she is caught by Roper, who starts to have her tortured for information, even going so far as to have one of his men waterboard her. He concludes that Pine is the mole. Meanwhile, Pine transfers $300 million out of the Tradepass account. Burr saves Jed from Roper's bodyguard, while Roper and Pine meet with the Egyptian buyers. In an empty room at the warehouse, Roper confronts Pine and upon punching him in the stomach, leaves Pine winded while allowing Tabby, one of Roper's henchmen to place Pine into a chair as Roper muses about how he should have known something was wrong the day Pine saved his son and that Corky was the one who put it all together, stating Pine killed Corky before promising Pine his death will be a hundred times worse. Roper then shows Pine a photo of Jed who's been tortured, enraging Pine who calls Roper "a sick fuck" with Pine attempting to strike Roper, only for Tabby to physically restrain Pine. With the investors arriving, Roper tells him to give an excellent performance for the investors, or Jed will die as Roper no longer cares about her well-being or life, menacingly telling Pine, "So smile". Eventually, all the parties convene, but things change when Pine uses a phone that has a pre-programmed number in it to blow up the trucks. This stuns the men who demand their money back. Roper, enraged draws a gun from one of his henchman and briefly holds Pine hostage at gunpoint, Pine informing him if he releases Jed, then Roper will get his money with Roper backing down. Furious, Roper then snaps at the buyers, informing them they'll get their money when he's good and ready. At the hotel, Burr confronts Roper, who attempts to phone Dromgoole to call her off, only to receive no answer – Burr's team, armed with the certificate as evidence of his involvement, have blackmailed him into staying silent. Roper and his men are all arrested by local police, but the police van is commandeered by his angered buyers, who drive off with Roper and his bodyguards. Inside the van, Roper begins screaming and attempts to fight back, having realised he will likely be tortured and then executed over what happened. Jed arranges to return to America to see her son, and Pine promises to come see her. He watches her depart the Nefertiti as he addresses the new night manager. | ||||
The first episode of The Night Manager was broadcast on 21 February 2016 on BBC One in the United Kingdom.[24] AMC Spain broadcast the series on 24 February 2016 in Spain.[25] TV3 in New Zealand broadcast the series on 28 February 2016.[26] In the United States, the show premiered on 19 April 2016 on AMC.[27] The serial aired in Australia on BBC First on 20 March 2016.[28] The serial aired in Saudi Arabia on AMC starting on 6 June 2016.[citation needed] In Finland the serial premiered 22 June 2016 on MTV3.[29] In Sweden the serial first aired on 22 August 2016 on TV4, split up into eight episodes not the original release of six episodes.[30] In Germany the serial started airing on 29 August 2016 on ZDF. The series was broadcast on Raidió Teilifís Éireann in Ireland on 29 August 2016.[31] On 24 February 2017, The Night Manager started to air in the Netherlands on public broadcaster NPO 1, being broadcast by AVROTROS.[32] The series was broadcast by BBC Persian from 15 February 2018 in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
The series holds a 91% "Certified Fresh" score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 67 critics with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Night Manager's smart writing and riveting story are elevated all the more by Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston's captivating performances."[33] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gives the series a score of 82/100 based on 32 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[34]
Adam Sisman, le Carré's biographer, wrote in the UK The Daily Telegraph, "It is more than 20 years since the novel was published, and in that time two film companies have tried and failed to adapt it, concluding that it was impossible to compress into two hours. But this six-hour television adaptation is long enough to give the novel its due." He added, "And though Hugh Laurie may seem a surprising choice to play 'the worst man in the world', he dominates the screen as a horribly convincing villain. Alert viewers may spot a familiar face in the background of one scene, in a restaurant: John le Carré himself makes a cameo, as he did in the films of A Most Wanted Man and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. But he is on screen only for an instant: blink and you'll miss him."[35]
Reviewing the first episode for The Guardian, Archie Bland began by noting, "The Night Manager is as sexed up as television drama comes. In Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie it has bona fide international stars; in John le Carré's source novel it has a pedigree of untouchable grandeur. The palette is as sumptuous as one of our hero Jonathan Pine's beautiful hotels". He added, "It's Laurie's vulpine performance that gives The Night Manager its force once the smell of money has worn off. But we barely see him for the first 40 minutes – a delayed gratification trick that's always worked like magic on me, ever since we spent the whole first episode of The West Wing waiting impatiently to meet Josiah Bartlet." Turning to Hiddleston's performance, Bland wrote, "And as the embodiment of the show's atmosphere of paralysed establishment glamour, Hiddleston is the business. When the noble beast beneath that accommodating English exterior begins to make itself known, I find the righteous revenge he's intent on wreaking on Roper compelling."[36]
IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen gave the serial 8.8 out of 10, saying, "The Night Manager proves that television is the ideal format to bring le Carré's novels to life. This miniseries is tightly paced, suspenseful and boasts strong performances from the likes of Hiddleston, Laurie, Colman and Hollander. With any luck, this series will open the doors for more of le Carré's classic spy tales to make their way to the small screen."[37]
The New Yorker reviewer Emily Nussbaum was unimpressed, calling the miniseries "elegant but ultimately empty", with "overwrought sequences of doomed love", "just an old recipe made with artisanal ingredients". She praised the actors but found the characterisation of Roper "less Dr. No and more Mr. Magoo".[38] However, Brian Tallerico called it a "brilliant adaptation" on RogerEbert.com, with praise for the performances of Hiddleston and Laurie, and for Susanne Bier's direction: "Bier brings a cinematic language to The Night Manager, and a deeper understanding of character than we often get in projects that hinge on espionage. She understands that it’s not about the twists and turns of the spy game but the impact it has on those who are playing it."[39]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 |
British Screenwriters' Awards | Best Crime Writing on Television (Series/Single Drama) | David Farr | Won | [40] |
| Outstanding Newcomer for British Television Writing | Nominated | ||||
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Nominated | [41] | ||
| Best Actor in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Tom Hiddleston | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Olivia Colman | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Hugh Laurie | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series | Elizabeth Debicki | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Main Title Theme – TV Show/Digital Streaming Series | Víctor Reyes | Won | [42] | |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Limited Series | Nominated | [43] | ||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Tom Hiddleston | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Hugh Laurie | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Olivia Colman | Nominated | |||
| Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Nominated | ||||
| Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Theme Song in a Series | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Titles Sequence | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound in a Non-Series | Nominated | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Limited Series | Stephen Garrett, Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell, Susanne Bier, David Farr, John le Carré, Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Alexei Boltho, William D. Johnson, and Rob Bullock |
Nominated | [6][44] | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Tom Hiddleston | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie | Hugh Laurie | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie | Olivia Colman | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | Susanne Bier | Won | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | David Farr | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special | Jina Jay | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Main Title Design | Patrick Clair, Jeff Han, Paul Kim, and Raoul Marks | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Victor Reyes (for "Episode 2") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Victor Reyes | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special | Adam Armitage, Howard Bargroff, Alex Sawyer, Peter Melemendjian, and Barnaby Smith (for "Episode 5") |
Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie | Howard Bargroff and Aitor Bernguer (for "Episode 5") | Nominated | |||
| Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Best Costume Design – Drama | Signe Sejlund | Won | [45] | |
| Best Effects – Special | Pau Costa Moeller | Nominated | |||
| Best Make Up Design – Drama | Jenna Wrage | Won | |||
| Best Music – Original Title | Victor Reyes | Won | |||
| Seoul International Drama Awards | Grand Prize | Won | [46] | ||
| Best Mini-Series | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Susanne Bier | Won | |||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Nominated | [47] | ||
2017 |
Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie or Mini-Series | Jina Jay | Nominated | [48] |
| Association of Motion Picture Sound Awards | Excellence in Sound for a Television Drama | Howard Bargroff, Adam Armitage, Alex Sawyer, and Aitor Berenguer |
Won | [49] | |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Tom Hollander | Won | [50][51] | |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Director – Fiction | Susanne Bier | Nominated | [50][52] | |
| Best Editing – Fiction | Ben Lester | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Tom Burton and Barbara H. Skelding | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound – Fiction | Aitor Berenguer, Howard Bargroff, Alex Sawyer, and Adam Armitage |
Won | |||
| Best Special, Visual and Graphic Effects | Pau Costa Moeller and Bluebolt | Nominated | |||
| Best Titles and Graphic Identity | Patrick Clair and Raoul Marks | Nominated | |||
| Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Drama Series | Won | [53] | ||
| Best Actor | Hugh Laurie | Nominated | |||
| Camille Awards | Best Original Music for a Series | Victor Reyes | Won | [54] | |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series | Aitor Berenguer and Howard Bargroff (for "Episode 1") | Nominated | [55] | |
| Empire Awards | Best TV Series | Won | [56] | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Nominated | [8][57] | ||
| Best Actor – Limited Series or Television Film | Tom Hiddleston | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor – Series, Limited Series or Television Film | Hugh Laurie | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress – Series, Limited Series or Television Film | Olivia Colman | Won | |||
| Gracie Awards | Actress in a Supporting Role – Made for TV Movie or Limited Series | Won | [58] | ||
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards | Best Original Score for a Television Series | Víctor Reyes | Nominated | [59] | |
| Location Managers Guild Awards | Outstanding Locations in Contemporary Television | Tom Howard and Daniel Sampedro Palerm | Won | [60] | |
| National Television Awards | Drama | Nominated | [61] | ||
| Drama Performance | Tom Hiddleston | Nominated | |||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | Simon Cornwell, Stephen Garrett, Stephen Cornwell, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Susanne Bier, David Farr, John le Carré, William D. Johnson, Alexei Boltho, and Rob Bullock |
Nominated | [62] | |
| Rose d'Or Awards | Drama Series | Nominated | [63] | ||
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Tom Hiddleston | Nominated | [64] | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Hugh Laurie | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Olivia Colman | Won | |||
| Saturn Awards | Best Presentation on Television | Nominated | [65] | ||
| Television and Radio Industries Club Awards | Best Crime Programme | Nominated | [66] | ||
| USC Scripter Awards | Television | David Farr – Based on the novel by John le Carré | Won[lower-alpha 2] | [67] | |
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