According to director Susanne Bier, Hugh Laurie originally wanted to play Jonathan Pine and did not think he was right for the role of Roper. Laurie even had a list of actors who he thought would be better for the role until Bier convinced him otherwise.
According to an article by Hannah Ellis-Petersen published in The Guardian on 15 July 2016, to prepare for the role of night manager Jonathan Pine, actor Tom Hiddleston spent his nights shadowing the night manager of the five-star Rosewood Hotel in London.
The Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) character's pregnancy was written into the script when Colman disclosed the fact that she was pregnant in real life at her first meeting with the director. This was only weeks before shooting was due to begin.
Upon its release, this production was reported in the media to be the most expensive television drama in history to be produced by the BBC.
This BBC TV spy serial was so successful when first released that there was immediate talk of a possible sequel, with the return of the central character Jonathan Pine, who is played in The Night Manager (2016) by Tom Hiddleston.
John le Carré: Uncredited, the writer of the film's source novel of the same name appears as a diner in episode four.