TV preview: The Night Manager

A contemporary interpretation of John le Carré's espionage drama, The Night Manager brings together love, loss and revenge in a complex story of modern criminality.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Feb 2016, 13:13 BST
Updated 17th Feb 2016, 13:25 BST
Hugh Laurie plays businessman Richard Onslow Roper in a contemporary reworking of John le Carrés The Night Manager.Hugh Laurie plays businessman Richard Onslow Roper in a contemporary reworking of John le Carrés The Night Manager.
Hugh Laurie plays businessman Richard Onslow Roper in a contemporary reworking of John le Carrés The Night Manager.

The series follows former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) who is recruited by intelligence operative Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the inner circle of international businessman Richard Onslow Roper (Hugh Laurie) and detonate the unholy alliance he has ministered between the intelligence community and the secret arms trade.

To get to the heart of Roper’s vast empire, Pine must withstand the suspicious interrogations of his venal chief of staff Major Corkoran (Tom Hollander) and the allure of his beautiful girlfriend Jed (Elizabeth Debicki).

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“I fell in love with the book when I first read it back in 1993,” says Laurie. “I tried to get the rights before I’d finished the third chapter. I was unsuccessful, of course – the great Sydney Pollack had jumped on it.

“Having said all that, I can’t claim any credit for getting the thing off the ground. I just told the producers that I would be happy to take any job on the production, as actor, caterer, anything I could do to make it go.”

The Night Manager, Sunday, BBC1, 9pm