The Night Manager series 2 shock twist explained

The Night Manager series two's third episode saw Jonathan Pine gain Teddy’s trust and find the proof he needed to connect the Cartagena shipment to covert British intelligence interests.

But then things started to go wrong and, just when he thought he had the upper hand, Pine got a shock blast from the past...

SPOILER WARNING - Do not continue reading if you haven't watched The Night Manager series two episode three

Pine discovered the mysterious Gilberto Hanson was none other than Richard Roper himself!

And we caught up with Hugh Laurie to find out all about Roper's return...

Where do we find Richard Roper?

For a large chunk of the intervening years, he was a prisoner, essentially a hostage to the shadowy cartel to whom he owed a great deal of money. Initially they were going to simply kill him, but Roper’s a good talker and he's quick on his feet, and he was able to bargain with them.

The captive can sometimes gain the upper hand over the captor, even though he doesn't have the key to the door. He's got himself back onto the playing field and reactivated a lot of his contacts and formed a plan that will allow him to pay off his debt and therefore survive because if he doesn’t, they will surely get him. But also to rebuild his empire, and once again, conquer all.

He's a conqueror really, a pirate, and he will never stop dreaming of the treasure of taking people, territory, and control.

What would you say is his specific ambition in this season, what is he after?

Clearing the books, settling his creditors, and building a new force in the world. We're looking at a character of utter ruthlessness, who is prepared to do almost anything to achieve those gains of power and territory and status. Status of a very peculiar kind, because Roper does not dream of public glory, or 30-foot bronze statues. Roper enjoys the mystique, being off stage. Roper doesn't have that weakness, but he does have a weakness for power. He does have a weakness for control. And he has it on a grand scale, building a vast empire, but he also has it on a small individual scale of obtaining victories against specific people, and Pine is his principal objective. He was beaten by Pine once, and Roper is not a man to forgive or forget easily.

Could you talk about the relationship between Roper and his son Teddy, and what it's been like to work with Diego Calva?

It's been wonderful working with Diego. My only criticism is that he’s absurdly good-looking, and no actor wants to share a frame with an absurdly good-looking person. He's incredibly smart and funny while committed and very thoughtful. His instincts are terrific, he's phenomenal.

The relationship between Roper and Teddy is a mysterious one. Teddy is the result of a liaison, and it's one that has been hidden from the world. This is Roper's secret, and it's a secret that he ruthlessly exploits for his own purposes. He has acted as his protector and guardian but watching from afar. But it's something that he's cultivated for his own ends, which is as chilling a strategy as you can imagine.

A father exploiting his own child is gruesome, but then Roper is gruesome.

Richard Roper feels like a dream role for an actor. Just how much of a joy has it been to bring this character to life across these two seasons?

I'll be honest, I love Richard Roper. I probably shouldn't, but I do. Though maybe the responsibility of every actor is, at some level, to love the character they play, even if the character they're playing is self-loathing, you've got to love the self-loathing. If you ever take on a character and you look down on them, you sell the character short, you undermine the energy that they present to the rest of the story.

So no, I'm not going to apologise for loving the worst man in the world. I'm repulsed, but sneakily, I love him too.

thenightmanager@premiercomms.com

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