Tom Hiddleston Spy Thriller Breaks BBC Record After 10-Year Gap

The Night Manager returned to the BBC after a decade, reuniting Tom Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine with Olivia Colman's Angela Burr. Pine assumes a new identity as low-level MI6 officer Alex Goodwin and lies low in London, but a chance sighting of a former mercenary pulls him back into danger.

The first episode of Season 2 drew 8.7 million viewers within 28 days, making it the biggest BBC drama debut since Vigil's second season in 2023. The premiere reached 2.6m viewers from C2DE socio-economic backgrounds and 0.6m in the 16–34 age group. Critical response has been strong: the season holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, whose consensus calls it "a glamorous and haunted continuation that only gets better as it goes." Kelcie Mattson awarded the season a 9/10, praising Hiddleston's "subtle turmoil rioting underneath a glacially still facade" and calling the installment "explosive" and risk-taking.

The second season finale aired on February 1, and with viewers and critics aligned, attention is already turning to what comes next.

United Kingdom, London

tom hiddleston, night manager, olivia colman, jonathan pine, alex goodwin, mi6, bbc drama, season 2, 8.7m viewers, rotten tomatoes