Slow Horses

Slough House is a banishment room for MI5 service rejects who have seriously failed a task but not badly enough to get sacked. Those consigned there are known as "slow horses", a play on the name of the place itself, Slough House, and an expression for people who are slow at thinking and action. Those assigned there are expected to endure dull, routine tasks, along with occasional verbal abuse from their miserable boss, Jackson Lamb, who anticipates that they will leave out of boredom or frustration. Life in Slough House is defined by drudgery. Yet the Slow Horses somehow get involved in investigating cases that endanger Britain. ==Cast and characters==

Main • Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the head of Slough House who is unkempt, flatulent, and rude with a sour wit, all disguising a tactical sharpness and firm loyalty to his agents, who he refers to affectionately as "Joes". • Jack Lowden as River Cartwright, an up-and-coming MI5 agent abruptly shunted to Slough House after a very public training-exercise blunder. • Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner, the power-hungry Deputy Director General of MI5 and head of operations, designated "Second Desk" until the end of series 5 when promoted to "First Desk", Director General of MI5. • Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright (series 4 – present; special guest series 1–3), River's grandfather, a retired senior MI5 officer with a legendary reputation, often known as "The Old Bastard". • Hugo Weaving as Frank Harkness (series 4 and 6), a former CIA operative turned ruthless mercenary. He is later revealed to be River's biological father. • Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish (series 5 – present; co-starring series 1–4), Slough House's office administrator, a recovering alcoholic, and still enamoured with her long-deceased superior. • Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy (series 5 – present; co-starring series 1–4), assigned to Slough House after a tail operation went badly wrong. • Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho (series 5 – present; co-starring series 1–4), an arrogant and obnoxious computer nerd and former hacktivist with undeniable technical skills. • Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander (series 5 – present; co-starring series 2–4), a physically capable agent undone by drug and anger issues. Special guests • Sophie Okonedo as Ingrid Tearney (series 1 and 3), the Director General of MI5, often referred to as "First Desk". • Katherine Waterston as Alison Dunn (series 3), an MI5 agent who uncovers a dark secret at the heart of the agency. • Sope Dirisu as Sean Donovan (series 3), a former head of security at the British embassy in Istanbul. Slough House • Dustin Demri-Burns as Min Harper (series 1–2), assigned after absent-mindedly leaving a top-secret disk on the train. • Olivia Cooke as Sidonie "Sid" Baker (series 1), a competent, likeable MI5 agent inexplicably assigned to Slough House. • Paul Higgins as Struan Loy (series 1), assigned after sending an inappropriate work email. • Kadiff Kirwan as Marcus Longridge (series 2–4), • Hiba Bennani as Tara, Roddy's apparent girlfriend • Harry Lloyd • Kyle Soller • Lucian Msamati • MyAnna Buring • Lenny Rush ==Episodes==

Series overview Series 1 (2022) Slow Horses is based on the novel of the same name by Mick Herron, which is part of the author's Slough House series. It tells the story of a team of British intelligence agents who have all committed career-ending mistakes, and subsequently work in a dumping ground department of MI5 called Slough House. Series 2 (2022) Series 3 (2023) Series 4 (2024) Series 5 (2025) ==Production==

Development The series was given a straight to series order by Apple TV+ in October 2019, with English writer and comedian Will Smith serving as showrunner. Each of the first five series has adapted the corresponding novel in the Slough House set. In October 2024, the show was renewed for a sixth series, which will jointly adapt the sixth and seventh books, Joe Country and Slough House. The fifth series premiered on 24 September 2025, followed by new episodes on a weekly basis until the season finale on 29 October 2025. In July 2025, ahead of the fifth series premiere, Apple TV+ renewed for a seventh series which is to be based on Bad Actors. In July 2025, it was announced that Smith would depart as showrunner after the fifth series, with Gaby Chiappe taking over as head writer for the sixth series, and Ben Vanstone for the seventh. Smith described his departure as a "practical decision" in the face of difficulties managing scriptwriting for two series at a time, per the show's established schedule of simultaneously shooting one series while writing and pre-producing the next. Casting In October 2019, along with the series order, Gary Oldman was announced to star. Filming of the first series began on 30 November 2020 in England, and continued into February 2021. In July 2021, filming continued in Stroud, Gloucestershire. It was originally intended to film earlier in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2025, Oldman announced that filming for the sixth series had already been completed prior to the release of the fifth, and that filming for the seventh series was expected to begin by October of that year. ==Reception==

All five series of Slow Horses have received critical acclaim. For the first series, Rotten Tomatoes lists a 95% approval rating based on 60 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Slow Horses refreshes the espionage genre by letting its band of snoops be bumbling, with Gary Oldman giving a masterclass in frumpy authority." On Metacritic, the first series has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 22 critics. The second series received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus says, "Slow Horses says nay to the sophomore jinx with a second series that might be even better than its supremely addictive predecessor." On Metacritic, series two has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 10 critics. Oldman was nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for his portrayal of Jackson Lamb. The third series received a 98% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on 43 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Slow Horses shabby charms reach a full gallop in this superb third season, yielding what might just be Slough House's most compelling operation yet." On Metacritic, series three has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 21 critics. The third series received nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gary Oldman, Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Jack Lowden and Outstanding Drama Series. The fourth series received a 100% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 44 critics. The website's critical consensus says, "The stakes get more personal than ever before in Slow Horses superb fourth season, proving that this spy series is saddled up for the long haul with no signs of fatigue." On Metacritic, series four has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 19 critics. Oldman was nominated for his second Golden Globe, second Emmy Award, second BAFTA Award, and first Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance. The fifth series has received a 96% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 43 critics. The website's critical consensus says, "Slow Horses loosens the reins in a more lighthearted season that doesn't quite measure up to the series' high bar, but it still excels as one of the most compulsively watchable offerings on television." On Metacritic, series five has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 17 critics. Oldman was nominated for his third Golden Globe and second Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance. Accolades ==Notes==