The WRITE approach

Screenwriter DAVID FARR on bringing Jonathan Pine back to our screens

- SEAN MARLAND.

A decade ago, screenwriter David Farr accepted the challenge of reimagining author John le Carré's post-Cold War-set bestseller The Night Manager into a contemporary espionage thriller for BBC1.

The six-part series, which centred around Tom Hiddleston's suave former soldier turned hotelier turned spy Jonathan Pine's mission to bring down Hugh Laurie's villainous arms dealer Richard Roper, proved an instant hit with critics and viewers alike when it launched in February 2016.

But many factors contributed to its sequel - currently airing on Sunday nights -taking a long time to materialise, including David needing to expand the story beyond the world created by former intelligence officer John, who passed away in 2020, in his 1993 novel.

Here, David, 56, talks us through the process...

The second run, which began on New Year's Day, picks up the action eight years on and finds Jonathan on the trail of Richard's arms dealer son Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). When did the idea for the plot come to you?