A decade since the original broadcast of The Night Manager, the BBC espionage series is back, with Tom Hiddleston suiting up again as Jonathan Pine, the MI6 recruit who just can't help himself when it comes to infiltrating nefarious organisations and indulging in the odd love triangle.
Based on John le Carré’s 1993 novel, the 2016 debut run was a stylish, location-hopping, Golden Globe and Emmy-winning success. While initially reticent for a second series, the British / Irish author gave his blessing for a follow-up before his death in 2020, leaving showrunner David Farr with the tantalising but presumably nerve-racking task of living up to the success of the original. And this time, without Hugh Laurie as smarmy arms dealer Richard “Dickie” Roper.
We’ve seen the first two episodes of the new series, and beyond making every male viewer feel like crawling into a deep dark hole out of shame because no one can compete with Hiddleston’s luscious locks, nor his unparalleled ability to make every suit look like the very sartorial concept of a jacket was invented for him alone, it’s a confident return to form.
Season 2 sees Pine assuming a new identity as head of the “Night Owls” - a covert MI6 surveillance unit based in London. Things are turned upside down for our hero when he identifies a former mercenary with ties to Roper. No spoilers here, but this leads Pine to infiltrate the organisation of Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva), a devious scallywag who also has ties to Roper and could be the key to uncovering an international conspiracy.
So far, it’s looking like the first must-watch of 2026, with the espionage goods working once more. The coming weeks will reveal whether it’s actually just a rehash of the first season’s familiar narrative, if Camila Morrone’s character Roxana can make us miss Elizabeth Debicki less, and to what extent the first season’s success was all down to Laurie’s antagonist. His shadow looms large over season 2, but so does the actor’s absence.
There’s no reason to think Farr won’t pull it off, and it’s quite refreshing watching a po-faced espionage drama that bucks the trend of less strait-faced spy thrillers like Slow Horses and Mr & Mrs Smith.
Considering that it’s a 6-episode drip-feed, with one episode released per week, now’s as good a time as any to catch up on some of the best on screen adaptations of John le Carré’s world.
The author, an MI5 and MI6 spy himself before he took up writing, excelled in offering the flipside to Ian Fleming’s take on the spy genre. Less galmorous Martini-sipping, more realistic, nuanced and office-bound stories grappling with the moral complexities of spycraft. His works have been adapted many times, with 1965’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and 1990’s The Russia House standing out on the big screen; but it’s during the 21st century that audiences have been treated to some of the greatest le Carré adaptations.
Here are five from the last 25 years that are worth discovering or revisiting while you wait for the next The Night Manager episode.
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Based on le Carré’s 2001 novel and directed by Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles (City of God), The Constant Gardener doesn’t deal with the author’s penchant for Cold War machinations; it focuses on aid workers and corrupt corporations, specifically Big Pharma.
It is loosely inspired by the real-life case of pharmaceutical company Pfizer experimenting trial drugs on children in Kano, Nigeria, and sees Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a reserved British diplomat, trying to solve the murder of his activist wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz). In doing so, he heads to Kenya and gets caught up in an international conspiracy.
As gripping as it is as a thriller, Meirelles does justice to one of le Carré’s best novels by using a flashback structure to fully engross the audience in the moving love story between the apparently mismatched couple. As the poster for the film reads: “Love. At any cost.” Both Fiennes and Weisz are exceptional, with the latter winning Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her efforts.
The Constant Gardener is a tragic romance, but also an angry cry against the exploitation of third-world nations, an interrogation of the old-fashioned notion of Britishness, as well as a heartbreaking fight for morality that continues to feel as urgent as it did 20 ago.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
As terrific as The Constant Gardener is, Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy is without a doubt the greatest le Carré adaptation of the 21st century (so far).
Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In) takes the author’s most celebrated novel and somehow manages to condense it and do justice to every twisty aspect. The labyrinthine storyline centred on a Russian mole within MI6; the character study of unretired spy master George Smiley; the paranoid (and smoky) mood at the heart of a corrupted system that still believes it has relevance on a post-WWII geopolitical stage... It’s all there, with an eye wateringly impressive thespian ensemble, including Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Hardy.
Every player understands the assignment and delivers some of their best work. But it’s down to Oldman, who takes the reins from Alec Guinness - who played the mild-mannered Smiley in the beloved 1979 BBC miniseries - and captures every nuance of Le Carré’s best-known character. He nabbed an Oscar nom in 2012 but bafflingly lost out to Jean Dujardin for The Artist. Probably due to a Russian mole in the Academy.
Granted, you may have to watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy a couple of times to appreciate all its narrative layers... But when the atmosphere is so hypnotic and the performances so flawless, who’s complaining?
A Most Wanted Man (2014)
Chiefly remembered for being Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final leading role, A Most Wanted Man is an underappreciated le Carré adaptation that requires patience but delivers the espionage goods.
Hoffman plays Günther Bachmann, the head of a German government team in charge of recruiting Muslim informants. When a Chechen-Russian immigrant arrives in Hamburg, it’s up to Bachmann to determine whether he’s a threat.
Photographer and director Anton Corbijn (Control) delivers a contemplative and thoughtful thriller which wrestles with a key theme at the heart of the author’s oeuvre: the compromised ethics of working in corrupted systems. When applied to the War on Terror and the eroded morality within Western institutions, it becomes both fascinating and chilling.
Like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A Most Wanted Man requires complete focus, which is rewarded by attention to detail. The less said about some of the dialect work from certain cast members (Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams), the better.
The Night Manager - Season 1 (2016)
It’s too soon to say whether the second season of The Night Manager will equal its predecessor; however, David Farr and Susanne Bier’s six-part adaptation remains the taut, engrossing (and self-contained should you wish to stop there) bar to clear.
It’s the most far-fetched and glitzy thriller on this list, but what it lacks in realism it makes up for in suspense. Viewers get swept up in the trials and tribulations of Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), who gets recruited by Angela Burr (Olivia Coleman) and her pre-Slow Horses misfit task force. The mission? Expose and thwart the plans of international arms dealer Richard “Dicky” Roper (Hugh Laurie) by infiltrating his inner circle.
The cast are clearly having a great time – with Laurie and Tom Hollander upping the slimy factor. As for Hiddleston, he may not boast the most acting range but the role of Pine feels tailor-made for his Bondish charisma. And speaking of tailored, the show is pure suit porn. Tinker TAILOR soldier spy, indeed.
The Little Drummer Girl (2018)
Helmed by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision To Leave), this underseen six-part miniseries was also adapted into a feature film in 1984. For our money, the 2018 version is superior, chiefly due to Florence Pugh’s performance.
Set in the late 70s, Pugh plays British actress Charlie, who is recruited by an Israeli spymaster (Michael Shannon) and Mossad agent (Alexander Skarsgård) to disrupt a Palestinian terrorist organisation.
It’s a slick and engaging watch that gets away with its convoluted storytelling due to Pugh’s talents and the moral grey areas at the core of the intrigue. The ending lets it down somewhat and The Little Drummer Girl failed to ride the le Carré wave started by The Night Manager. However, it remains a strong period piece that may not be everyone’s first choice right now, but still merits a watch.
Season 2 of The Night Manager hits Amazon Prime Video on 11 January.
