Two stars of The Night Manager season two appeared in a beloved period drama on Apple TV+
*Warning – This article contains major spoilers for The Night Manager season 2.*
A “breathtaking” period drama with The Night Manager stars has had fans watching it “on repeat”. The Night Manager has returned for its second season on BBC One, with Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Jonathan Pine.
The first season of the hit BBC thriller aired back in 2016, and centred around Jonathan, the night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo, who was also a former British solider. At the start of the series, Jonathan was recruited by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman), the manager of a Foreign Office task force investigating illegal arms sale. He was tasked with infiltrating the inner circle of arms deal Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).
The start of the second season saw Angela identify Richard’s body, but a shock twist was later unveiled, as Richard was confirmed to be alive and working with his son Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva) in Colombia.
Jonathan was reunited with Angela last week, who revealed that Richard had threatened her family if she didn’t comply with his orders to fake his death. An explosive set of events then ensued, as Jonathan rushed to stop Teddy killing a young boy, with Richard soon learning of Jonathan’s reappearance in his life.
Ahead of the penultimate episode of season two airing on BBC One tonight (Sunday, January 25), fans might be interested to watch another drama with two of this season’s stars.
Tom Hiddleston and his season two co-star Hayley Squires, who plays Jonathan’s colleague Sally Price-Jones, both star in Gothic romance series The Essex Serpent.
Based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Perry, the six-part period drama is set in the Victorian era and tells the story of Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) who moves from London to Essex, relishing her newfound freedom after being widowed by her abusive husband.
She becomes intrigued by the myth of a creature known as the Essex Serpent, leading her to the community’s spiritual leader, Will Ransome (played by Tom), as she seeks to uncover the origins of the creature. “But when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature,” the synopsis adds.
Actress Hayley played Martha, a highly intelligent servant in Cora’s household, acting as her closest confidante. The show’s cast also includes Frank Dillane, Clémence Poésy, Jamael Westman, Lily-Rose Aslandogdu, Gerard Kearns, Michael Jibson, Caspar Griffiths, and Dixie Egerickx.
Ryan Reffell, Nitin Ganatra, Christopher Fairbank, Deepica Stephen, Yaamin Chowdhury and Greta Bellamacina round out the stacked cast.
Filming for The Essex Serpent began in February 2021 in a number of Essex locations, including Alresford, Brightlingsea, North Fambridge and Maldon, as well as across London, including Gordon Square in Bloomsbury. The show debuted on Apple TV+ in May 2022, where it received positive reviews from critics and viewers alike.
“What a joy to watch. Everything about this is first class from the minute it starts to the end. Beautifully filmed with a lot of scenes that are utterly breathtaking. Such an emotional and complex story,” one person wrote on IMDb.
Another added: “This series is absolutely exquisite! Every detail from the cinematography, music, writing, setting and acting all blend together in perfect harmony. The themes of social and economic class disparities, science, scapegoating, superstition, faith and of course infinite love, weave together effortlessly to make this a very powerful story.”
A third said: “I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of The Essex Serpent. It did not disappoint, I’ve been a fan of Tom Hiddleston a long time, and he yet again gives another great performance. I love Claire Danes role as Cora, she makes me want to be more carefree as her. A beautiful forbidden romance, mystery, and a struggle with one’s own beliefs reign in this show. Eager for more.”
A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: “Mesmerising from the start, and thoroughly captivating to the end. The story is brilliant, the characters solid, and the eerie mood of the Essex estuaries is masterfully captured on screen. All the events, along with the terrifying and exciting music, made me fall in love with this series. I keep watching it on repeat.”
The Essex Serpent is available to stream on Apple TV+, while The Night Manager airs every Sunday at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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