The Night Manager was great...but I don't want any more

I'll miss The Night Manager this Sunday night. The Beeb's super-expensive adaptation of John Le Carre's novel was sheer class. Well, apart from the silly title sequence that is (in a subtle drama, why was there a need to shout 'this is about spies guys' in that way?).

The action built slowly but surely to a crescendo last week, bringing in a rich array of characters along for the ride. While Tom Hiddleston (and his backside) and Olivia Colman (and her pregnant bump) seemed to earn the most plaudits - and tiresome column inches on James Bond - the real star of the show for me was Hugh Laurie.

His suave, smarmy and, ultimately, sinister Richard Roper commanded attention every time he was on the screen. So much so that I almost felt sorry that he didn't get away with it. Only almost though...and the justice meted out was devilishly satisfying.

Praise too is due for Tom Hollander, the colourful 'Corky' who still always makes me think of his superb - and incredibly brief - turn as The F***er in The Thick Of It. Elizabeth Debicki's troubled Jed also added to the magnificent melting pot.

Well acted, superbly shot, smartly adapted, great locations. It's perhaps easy to see why some are calling for a second series. They're wrong though.

The Night Manager two? BBC rumoured to be considering sequel https://t.co/Jp9HUrufk2

— The Guardian (@guardian) March 27, 2016

There's no second book for starters. You might well argue that this is different enough from Le Carre's 1993 book to render that insignificant but the meat of the original text underpinned this adaptation and gave it the rich characterisation and depth of storytelling that made it all so enjoyable. The big names might have risen to the challenge but they're only as good as the lines they deliver and this could easily have descended into a vanity parade of stars. A sequel could well do just that.

Then there's the closure of the ending. Of course you could write around that but where would you go? Pine wouldn't go back into Roper's crew and neither would Jed. Would the follow up focus on another scheme from Roper without Pine or another undercover sting from Pine without Roper? Either would remove a key component.

As Digital Spy points out, the only follow up that would really work out would be a spin-off involving Burr's agency. But going after who?

The success of the show shouldn't lead to a sequel. It should, instead, give the BBC and others the confidence to commission more good drama, more brave book adaptations and use the talents of top actors. The old sayings of 'leave them wanting more' and 'go out on a high' should apply to The Night Manager.