After a decade-long wait, The Night Manager is finally back on the small screen with its second season. With an original storyline that expands on John le Carré’s source material, this is one of the most anticipated series of the year.
The follow-up season of the spy thriller sees Jonathan Pine living a quiet life under the name Alex Goodwin, but his world is turned upside down after a former adversary leads him down a new path to a shady Colombian businessman.
Following the premiere on Thursday (1 January), we have the follow-up instalment tonight on BBC One, with the cast being full of familiar faces as well as new figures; but who plays who? If you want to know, then read our comprehensive breakdown!
Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine
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Who is Jonathan Pine? Jonathan is a low-level MI6 intelligence officer currently operating under the identity of Alex Goodwin. As he runs a surveillance unit out of London, he spots a familiar face and is shown down a treacherous new path.
What else has Tom Hiddleston starred in? Aside from his big role in The Night Manager, Hiddleston has forged a successful career, with his biggest part coming as Loki in several projects across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Outside of the superhero franchise, Hiddleston has worked with major directors such as Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro on War Horse and Crimson Peak respectively, while he drew acclaim for his role in The Life of Chuck last year.
Olivia Colman as Angela Burr
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Who is Angela Burr? Also reprising their role is Colman, who portrays the former Head of the Foreign Office’s International Enforcement Agency. Angela has stepped back from intelligence work following the first season, so how will her path cross with Jonathan now?
What else has Olivia Colman starred in? It’s been a busy few years for Colman, with the actor shooting to international fame after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2019 for her performance in The Favourite.
With other big screen projects such as Wonka, Paddington in Peru and more recently The Roses, Colman has also had major roles on the small screen in series’ such as The Crown, Broadchurch and Fleabag.
Diego Calva as Teddy Dos Santos
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Who is Teddy Dos Santos? The first new face, Teddy is the Colombian businessman who Jonathan takes a keen interest in. With a sinister arms operation and a guerrilla army at his disposal, it seems that Teddy isn’t one to be messed with.
What else has Diego Calva starred in? It’s been a quick rise to fame for the Mexican actor, who portrayed Arturo Beltrán Leyva in Netflix crime drama Narcos: Mexico. On the big screen, he has appeared in Babylon and On Swift Horses.
Camila Morrone as Roxana Bolaños
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Who is Roxana Bolaños? Another new character in the series, Roxana is a businesswoman who reluctantly helps Jonathan in infiltrating Teddy’s operation – but can she be fully trusted?
What else has Camila Morrone starred in? Morrone had a leading role as Camila Alvarez-Dunne in Prime Video’s musical drama Daisy Jones & the Six, and will soon appear in Netflix’s adaptation of The Age of Innocence.
Indira Varma as Mayra Cavendish
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Who is Mayra Cavendish? Mayra, a new character for the second season, is the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. She oversees Jonathan’s operation in Colombia, and is his go-to contact.
What else has Indira Varma starred in? While she has had big screen appearances in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and Official Secrets, it has been TV where Varma has made her name in shows such as Game of Thrones and Doctor Who.
Hayley Squires as Sally Price-Jones
BBC
Who is Sally Price-Jones? Sally is an MI6 officer who becomes a member of the ‘Night Owls’ team, a collection of agents led by Jonathan which mainly does low-level surveillance work.
What else has Hayley Squires starred in? Squires garnered acclaim for her performance in Ken Loach’s 2016 film I, Daniel Blake, with other projects including Blitz, The Essex Serpent and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.
Paul Chahidi as Basil Karapetian
BBC
Who is Basil Karapetian? Like Sally, Roxana, Teddy and Mayra, Basil is a new character for the second season, with the figure being a senior official within the British intelligence service.
What else has Paul Chahidi starred in? Chahidi has spent much of his career on the stage, though he does have some notable TV credits with Good Omens, The Serpent Queen and Ludwig.
Noah Jupe as Danny Roper
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Who is Danny Roper? Danny is the son of arms dealer Richard Roper, who was played by Hugh Laurie in the first season. With Jupe reprising his role, he now has a more substantial part in the follow-up.
What else has Noah Jupe starred in? Jupe has had several big roles in his short career, with breakout performances in Honey Boy and Ford v Ferrari. His major role is Marcus Abbott in the Quiet Place franchise, while his TV work includes The Undoing.
Alistair Petrie as Alexander ‘Sandy’ Langbourne
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Who is Alexander ‘Sandy’ Langbourne? Sandy was one of Richard’s closest allies in the first season, serving as the arms dealer’s financial director. As he makes his return for the second season, how will his arc play out?
What else has Alistair Petrie starred in? Petrie has some big screen sci-fi outings in his filmography with Cloud Atlas and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. On TV, he had a regular role as Mr Groff in Sex Education and recently starred in Death by Lightning.
Douglas Hodge as Rex Mayhew
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Who is Rex Mayhew? Rex is an important figure at Whitehall and served as an ally to Angela in the first season. In the second season, his significance is highlighted as he works with Jonathan.
What else has Douglas Hodge starred in? Hodge has a varied career including a role as Alfred Pennyworth in Joker, while his recent big screen outings have included We Live in Time and Pillion. On TV, he has appeared in Catastrophe and The Great.
Michael Nardone as Frisky
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Who is Frisky? Frisky is a henchman of Richard, who was prepared to do anything to support his boss. With a chequered history, Jonathan might want to stay out of his way for the foreseeable future…
What else has Michael Nardone starred in? Nardone has mainly acted on the stage throughout his career, but he has roles in big TV productions such as Line of Duty, Merlin and Shetland.
The Night Manager airs on BBC One, and streams on both BBC iPlayer and Prime Video.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. Â His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
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