Sir Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Landing on Apple TV+ on September 24th with the first episode (five more follow at the rate of one per week) is the fifth season of ‘Slow Horses’, which draws from Mick Herron’s source novel ‘London Rules’.
(L to R): Kristin Scott Thomas and James Callis in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Proving itself to be something of a slow-burn sensation, ‘Slow Horses’ has been gaining in pop cultural awareness and adulation across the last couple of years, with awards coming its way and more promotion.
There are, naturally, more eyes on Season 5 than ever before (even if the running joke is that Apple has excellent shows precious few people watch or know about beyond the megahit ‘Severance’), and thankfully, it is more than deserving of the attention.
Script and Direction
Nick Mohammed in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Smith and his writers continue to mine Mick Herron’s book series for comic brilliance and suitably twisty spy tales. This season’s story, set as a mayoral election grips London and shocking violence roils the capital, is loaded down with trademark quips and naturally great roles for its main cast.
There is, in fact, even more focus on the denizens of Slough House than ever this year, and it really works.
Returning director Saul Metzstein, has a clear eye for how the show works visually, and if it’s lighter on action compared to other shows, that’s not the real focus here.
Cast and Performances
Christopher Chung in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Oldman continues to prove he’s the perfect Jackson Lamb (there is a joke about penguins and Batman that is so perfectly delivered, it might make you pause the show from laughing), and as usual he anchors the ensemble.
But everyone is on their A-game here, with a welcome boost of screen time for Christopher Chung as arrogant, nerdy tech expert Roddy Ho. While he’s the sort of character you usually prefer in small doses, Chung makes him likeable enough that it works to have him enjoy more of a spotlight.
Final Thoughts
(L to R): Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Saskia Reeves, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Slow Horses’ remains one of the best shows on TV –– streaming or otherwise –– and Season Five is just more proof of why. Perfectly pitched in terms of tone and character, it’s a sweary, funny treat.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 5 receives 87 out of 100.
(L to R): Kristin Scott Thomas and Sir Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses,’ premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
What’s the plot of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5?
In Season Five, everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) has a glamorous new girlfriend, but when a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected.
After all, Lamb (Gary Oldman) knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules – cover your back – always apply.
Sir Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’, premiering September 24, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Who stars in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5?
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy
Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
Nick Mohammed as Zafar Jaffrey
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
Kristin Scott Thomas directs, co-writes and stars in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kristin Scott Thomas about her work on ‘My Mother’s Wedding’, developing the screenplay from her own life story, which characters she relates to the most, how her experience as an actress informed her work as a director, working with the cast, and shooting the complicated wedding sequences.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Thomas and Emily Beecham.
Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’. Photo: Vertical.
Moviefone: To begin with, I understand the film is loosely based on your own life. Can you talk about the process of writing the screenplay with John Micklethwait and did you always intend to make this project your directorial debut?
Kristin Scott Thomas: They always say, “write about what you know”, and I know this story very, very well in that the experiences that these girls, in particularly, the character played by Scarlett Johansson, had, as children, were my experiences. So, all the memories that Catherine has in the film are my memories. This aspect of my life has been touted quite a lot during every time there’s a profile written about me, they’d have this little paragraph about my tragic childhood. Now that I’m grown up, I felt, well, hang on, it’s my turn to tell this story. So, here we go. So, what we did from there was to use my memories of my father and my stepfather and use them as a kind of catalyst if you like, to tell a story that is pretty much invented about these three women who returned to their childhood home to witness their mother getting married for the third time to a man who they find frankly disappointing. But their own love lives are all in turmoil. The fact that their mother is so deliriously happy, you know, makes some sort of quite comedic moments.
MF: Do you feel that there is a little bit of you in each character, or was there one character specifically that you can really relate to?
KST: Well, I think when you’re creating something, certainly as an actor, I know there’s always a tiny bit of me in it, there’s a tiny bit of my next-door neighbor, or there’s a tiny bit of, you know, we’re like magpies. We see things that we like, and we gather them all, and we put them into characters when we’re an actor. So, when you’re a writer, I think it’s the same thing. You know, you’re inventing a character, but I’m inventing it from things I’ve seen and things I’ve experienced during my life. So, I think there’s a bit of me in in everything, really, in all of them. Certainly, the character of the mother is somebody, I’d love to be that kind of a mum, you know, really sort of forthright and knows what’s what. I’d love to be so certain as she is.
(L to R) Scarlett Johansson, Emily Beecham and Sienna Miller in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: With all your experience as an actress collaborating with directors on different sets, do you think that informed the way you worked with your actors as a director on this set?
MF: I think it did. I think that I was very aware. If I started off making the film very much as an actress, as an actress directing a film, and then little by little, I got into the groove of being the one answered the questions and just made the decisions. But to begin with, I was very conscious of the actor’s needs. So, I had a way of sort of shorthand in talking to them and managing to explain what I would really like to see. But if they wanted to bring anything else, you know, great. That’s what I saw, I saw an enormous amount of sort of invention on their part and their imaginations were inspired and it went well.
MF: Finally, as difficult as a film can be to produce, so is a wedding, and you had to do both for this movie. Can you talk about shooting the wedding sequence?
KST: Oh, that was fun. I mean, as an actor, I’ve always sort of dreaded those big set pieces, because you sit around for hours, and you get bored and all. So, I tried to make it as relaxed as possible, and I tried to make it as mobile as possible. So, you don’t get stuck in one thing. So, you kind of jump around a bit, and there are sweet moments and quite funny moments. I tried to keep it as kind of busy as possible, towards the beginning anyway, to set it all up, and to keep it all kind of a bit feverish. So, that’s what we were aiming to do and then this glorious moment when Geoff (James Fleet) sings, when everyone just goes, “What’s he going to do”? He’s singing and then there’s the relaxing into it, because he’s so brave to get up there and sing this rather affecting song. You know, you have nothing but admiration for him, even though he’s not a singer. You’re touched by that. You’re moved by that. It was so generous of him.
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What is the plot of ‘My Mother’s Wedding’?
Three sisters (Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham) return to their family home to attend the wedding of their twice widowed mother Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas). All three sisters have had different life experiences, with Georgina being a palliative nurse, whilst Victoria is an actress, and Katherine is a captain in the Royal Navy.
Who is in the cast of ‘My Mother’s Wedding’?
Scarlett Johansson as Katherine
Sienna Miller as Victoria
Emily Beecham as Georgina
Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana
Freida Pinto as Jack
James Fleet as Geoff
(L to R) Emily Beecham, Sienna Miller, Kristin Scott Thomas and Scarlett Johansson in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’. Photo: Vertical.
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
Returning for its fourth season with one episode on September 4th, ‘Slow Horses’ continues to prove itself as one of the best series on offer via the Apple TV+ service.
In fact, Apple has clearly been so happy with the viewership of the show, and so willing to future-proof the availability of its cast, that it has been shooting two seasons at once. A fifth is already in the works, and the start of the fourth indicates that it has lost none of the unpredictable, grungy and satisfyingly British style that fans have come to enjoy.
Does ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 succeed in its mission?
Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
While there’s little doubt that the key to ‘Slow Horses’ appeal is Gary Oldman having the time of his life as the grubby, greasy, but incredibly sharp agent Jackson Lamb (the actor has scored a welcome first Emmy nomination for the role following Season 3), the show still doesn’t lazily rely on the performance and the character, evolving each season to embrace new personalities and expanded storylines, while maintaining what works.
For Season 4, that more-of-the-same-with-a-twist approach shows no sign of faltering, and indeed, the initial episodes –– we’ll only really discuss the first here as that’s the one landing on premiere day –– are suitably excellent.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 4: Script and Direction
(L to R) Ruth Bradley and Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
Led by Will Smith (a writer and former stand-up with experience on Armando Iannucci’s shows, not the movie star), the series’ writing team is always on point, using Mick Herron’s novels as a starting point for the basic structure of each season and then expanding from there, but always in organic fashion.
It may not always be as action-packed as other shows (though it certainly has its moments –– witness the traumatic bomb attack that opens this season), when you have dialogue that crackles like this, you don’t need every space to be filled with someone waving a gun. And in the mouths of Oldman and the rest of the game cast, it’s always guaranteed to make you laugh or gasp… sometimes at the same time.
On the visual side of things, the show benefits from having both a more limited number of episodes per season (usually six) and one director through the whole batch, meaning that the show –– also thanks to a hefty budget from Apple –– ends up looking like a movie cut into TV-sized chunks. The environs of Slough House, the low-rent office where Lamb and co. are based, are wonderfully scruffy and evocative, in stark contrast to the polished glass and cold concrete of MI5’s main Regent’s Park HQ.
And the show uses London’s variety of landscapes and neighborhoods, plus other areas in the UK, to great effect. In Season’s 4 case, the man in charge of the show’s look is Adam Randall, who fits in well with the overall style.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 4: Performances
Oldman might rightfully score the lion’s share of the plaudits, but there is a wider ensemble all putting in great performances.
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
Oldman has repeatedly said that he’s having the time of his life playing the grumpy, cynical and endlessly mucky head of Slough House, and that energy seeps out of every pore. The vanity-free performance (Lamb is frequently seen with lanky hair, grease stains and mismatched clothing), is a truly memorable one, the slovenly appearance the perfect camouflage for a truly inspired spy mind.
Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
While he was the audience surrogate character at the start, the young agent banished to Slough House after a training mission goes wrong, River has grown into a great sidekick for Lamb, and an impressive character in his own right. And Lowden brings a superb blend of world-weariness and enthusiasm to the role.
Jonathan Pryce in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
Though the elder Cartwright has mostly been a supporting character in earlier seasons, it’s easy to see why Smith chose an experienced thespian like Pryce to play him; because he knew that David would become much more important down the line. And Pryce brings a potent combo of wise elder former agent and humbled aging grandfather to the part, which expands here.
Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
Few people can do withering putdowns like Thomas, and in Taverner, she’s found the ideal outlet. A canny, ice-cold professional, she’s forever frustrated by the hapless government types she’s forced to deal with. And her endlessly watchable interactions with Oldman are often a highlight of each season.
Other notable characters
(L to R) Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Christopher Chung, Tom Brooke, Kadiff Kirwan and Rosalind Eleazar in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
The rest of the Slough House ensemble all get their moments in the sun, and this fourth season includes a healthy influx of new characters (since in this show, a long life expectancy is never guaranteed). Highlights of the new episodes include Joanna Scanlan (like showrunner Smith, a veteran of Armando Iannucci’s shows) as the eager-to-please Moira and Tom Brooke as JK, a mysterious and honestly weird fresh addition to the office. And not forgetting James Callis as Claude Whelan, the nervous, officious new First Desk of MI5 and a great foil for Taverner.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 4: Final Thoughts
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 4 now streaming on Apple TV+.
‘Slow Horses’ creative team have said they’ll happily keep making the show as long as Apple wants them to (and Mick Herron keeps writing books to adapt, with the author up to eight and counting), and that’s welcome news.
If only more series were as consistently entertaining, and this still full of steam when their fourth seasons rolled around, the TV landscape would be in much better shape.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 4 receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4?
Adapted from Mick Herron’s ‘Slow Horses’ novel ‘Spook Street’, Season 4 opens as a bomb has exploded in a shopping center in London and MI5 is racing to figure out who is responsible. Second Desk (the second-in-command of the intelligence service) Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) must balance the demands of the investigation with effectively babysitting the nervy new First Desk (James Callis).
As for those at Slough House, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) is faced with his grandfather David’s (Jonathan Pryce) increasingly fragile mental condition, compounded by a new mystery that could threaten both their lives. Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), meanwhile, is his same old, irascible self, happy to endlessly mock his team of exiled agents, but also fiercely loyal when it comes to protecting them.
And he’ll need to, as a face from the past has returned to cause trouble…
Who else is in the cast of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 4?
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 2, premiering December 2, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Preview:
Apple TV+ has renewed ‘Slow Horses’ for a fifth season.
The show, starring Gary Oldman, adapts Mick Herron’s novels.
This new season will see bizarre events happening around London.
They might not be considered the best of the best when it comes to MI5’s roster, but the denizens of Slough House are certainly proving successful for Apple TV+, proving to be one of the breakout hits for the tech giant’s streaming service.
Which is to say that across three seasons (so far), ‘Slow Horses’ the Gary Oldman-starring series have scored plenty of critical praise and won lots of fans.
It’s hardly surprising then, that after rolling out renewals for the third and fourth seasons as a block (the third just launched its finale on December 27th), Apple TV+ has handed down a fifth season order almost as quickly.
What is ‘Slow Horses’?
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
‘Slow Horses’ is adapted from Mick Herron’s eponymous novel series, which is also known as ‘Slough House’, named for the low-rent MI5 office our heroes work from.
Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but misanthropic leader of the spies, who end up in Slough House due to their career-ending mistakes as they frequently find themselves blundering around the smoke and mirrors of the espionage world.
Yet for all their issues, the team frequently proves to be much more effective than any of their colleagues suspect, with Lamb a crafty genius who uses his off-putting, cantankerous exterior to thwart expectations. There are times when the Horses are the last line of defence between the UK and some serious threats.
Christopher Chung stars in the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
Season 5 adapts Herron’s fifth book, ‘London Rules’, and the story finds the team suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) has a glamorous new girlfriend, but when a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected.
After all, Jackson Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, “London Rules” should always apply.
Who else is in ‘Slow Horses’?
Jack Lowden returns for the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
No information is available about any cast additions for Season 5.
When will ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5 be on our screens?
Given that Season 4 has yet to launch (it has no official premiere date yet, but showrunner Will Smith has promised it’ll be sometime in 2024), there is zero information on the fifth as of yet. Add to that the fact that it still has to film, and we’ll be waiting for a while.
Academy Award winner Gary Oldman returns for the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
(L to R) Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden star in Apple TV+’s ‘Slow Horses’ season 3.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden about their work on the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ having the opportunity to explore their characters over three seasons, and drawing inspiration from the novels the series is based on.
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, Gary, can you talk about the advantages of creating a character for a series verses a movie, and now that you are in your third season, do you feel like you really know who Jackson Lamb truly is?
Gary Oldman: I think we know who they are, and I think the writers now know who we are. With a feature film, you’ve got an hour and a half, two hours, to tell a story. I think the thing I’ve always actually liked about long form is that you get to really focus on character. We are on the journey with a particular character as it goes along and unfolds. So, I find it very satisfying and very liberating that we can work on a character and tell a story over basically, over six hours, rather than a tight timeframe or two.
Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
MF: Jack, similar question for you. Now after three seasons of ‘Slow Horses’ do you feel like you really know who River Cartwright is or is there still more to explore in future seasons?
Jack Lowden: I’m still figuring him out for sure. I really do feel that I’m experiencing it along with River because you really don’t know what’s around the corner. He really doesn’t know, and I don’t know what’s around the corner until the scripts land in our inbox and I’ve purposely not read the books past the point that we’re at. But by the end of this whole journey with ‘Slow Horses,’ that could have been a massive mistake. I don’t know. But I’m quite enjoying not knowing and just finding out as I go along. But his character development is quite interesting in going from somebody who thinks quite highly of himself to where I think it’s beginning to unravel ever so slightly, which is probably what someone needs when they’re so insanely arrogant is that he needs to be brought down and I think he’s sort of realizing that. So, it’s a real joy to play him because I don’t really know where he’s going to go.
Academy Award winner Gary Oldman returns for the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
MF: Finally, Gary, when first started playing Jackson Lamb, did you draw inspiration from Mick Herron’s novels, or people that you’ve known in your own life, or did you just create the character based on how he was written in the scripts?
GO: As an actor, I think I like to refer to it as the script is like your map of the world, and if the material is good, then all one must do is just follow all the signposts. I think that often if you’ve got poor material, then you’re just working too hard. If you break a sweat, you’re working too hard. With Mick, he’s created this world and these characters so magnificently. I have just followed Mick’s directions. The character is in the material and in the books. The character is there for you. I have brought, like you do with anything, you bring your own inherent humanity to a part, but it’s out of the imagination of Mick. I just really had to follow the map.
Jack Lowden returns for the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
What’s the Plot of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 3?
In Season 3 of ‘Slow Horses’, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London.
When Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House –– but of MI5 itself.
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
Launching on Apple TV+ on November 29th (with two episodes), ‘Slow Horses’ makes a triumphant return to screens with another winning blend of character work, memorable dialogue and compelling action.
While Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb continues to be the standout, but there isn’t a weak link in this cast, and some new recruits (including one who is only in the first episode) only add to that feeling.
Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
Apple TV+ is clearly happy with the success of this adaptation of Mick Herron’s popular spy thriller novels, as the streaming service commissions seasons in batches of two –– which is why we got a taster of the second as the credits rolled on the first.
That will continue with Season 4, which has already been shot, and on the evidence of the quality of Season 3, that’s a very good thing.
Even in this era of peak television and shorter streaming seasons, there are shows that have run out of steam only a couple of seasons in. Fortunately, ‘Slow Horses’ is most definitely not one of them. Showrunner Will Smith (not that one) and his team have kept the entertainment value consistent through all the seasons so far, and the third is no exception.
If you’ve never seen the show, this is a very different world to the usual heroics of, says James Bond or Jason Bourne. It’s much more street level, scruffier and set in the world of MI5’s rejects, who have somehow fouled up on duty and are shunted off to a satellite office of the security service.
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
Slough House (from where the team gets its nickname) is the butt-end of the intelligence world, a place careers go to die when they can’t hack it at the sparkling glass and solid concrete world of the service HQ in Regent’s Park.
And yet… As led by the drunken, flatulent Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), they somehow always manage to make it work. When big crises threaten the UK, the team is often drafted in, usually without really wanting to take part.
Oldman is very clearly having the time of his life playing Lamb, all stained shirts and stringy hair whose outward appearance and brusque manner (a choice line of his from this season is, “you’re about as welcome as a turd in a hot tub”) hides a keen intelligence and a strong feeling of loyalty to those who earn it. While he insults his team constantly, he’d lay down his life to help any one of them in truly dire straits.
(L to R) Saskia Reeves and Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
He’s primarily supported by Saskia Reeves’ Catherine Standish, an alcoholic but longstanding officer who runs Slough House and gives Lamb the counterbalance he needs.
Elsewhere, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), who started to show as the audience’s point of view when he’s banished to Lamb’s team after a bad call on a training exercise, has really become part of the gang –– realizing that he might have actually found the perfect place to work. Even if he complains about it from time to time.
The rest of the team are all interesting characters, including the arrogant (without much cause besides his hacking skills) tech bro agent Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), the world-weary Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar), who is still recovering from the death of her partner/lover in Season 2 and newer recruits Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and Marcus Longridge (Kadiff Kirwan) get some much-needed depth, even if it does mean they’re both thrust into danger.
This is a perfectly gathered ensemble that play well off of each other, and the supporting cast is just as good –– Kristin Scott Thomas brings icy cool to the role of Diana Taverner, essentially second-in-command at the Regent’s Park HQ and endlessly bristling at being passed up for the top job.
That position went to Sophie Okonedo’s Ingrid Tearney, and she takes plenty of pleasure in reminding Diana of the place. Okonedo is so good as the bookish bureaucrat whose owlish nature sheathes a spine of steel.
When it’s time for the action to kick in, ‘Slow Horses’ doesn’t stint –– we won’t go into spoilers for this season’s big confrontation, but if you’ve seen the previous seasons, you’ll know it truly leans into the idea of conflict with stakes.
What doesn’t work in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 3?
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
There is very little that’s wrong with the new season of ‘Slow Horses’ –– while some could quibble that each new storyline brings some variation of espionage genre tropes: a threat to the nation; a conspiracy to keep secrets long buried; one of the team being kidnapped for leverage.
Each time, however, the writers undercut them with the humor and style of the show.
‘Slow Horses’ Season 3: Final Thoughts
Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
In a world where spies are usually slick operators who save the day with complicated gadgets or by seducing the right woman, it’s reassuring to know that ‘Slow Horses’ offers the alternative, a downplayed, grungy but very, very human look at intelligence work. Long may these horses ride (even if it is slowly).
‘Slow Horses’ Season 3 receives 9 out of 10 stars.
Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
What’s the story of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 3?
In Season 3 of ‘Slow Horses’, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London.
When Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House –– but of MI5 itself.
Who else is in ‘Slow Horses’ Season 3?
The cast includes Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Freddie Fox, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Kadiff Kirwan, Jonathan Pryce and Sophie Okonedo.
Academy Award winner Gary Oldman returns for the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
Apple TV+ has certainly reaped rewards with spy series ‘Slow Horses’, which won Best English-Language Drama Series at the 2022 C21 International Drama Awards and has been drawing a big following.
In fact, so successful was the show out of the gate that Apple kept to its policy of crafting two seasons at a time, which meant that a teaser for the second run was attached to the end of the first, and new episodes appeared mere months after that.
We’ve had to wait a little longer for the third season, but now we know the show will be back in November and the first images are online, showing star Gary Oldman and the rest of the gang.
What’s the story of ‘Slow Horses’?
Jack Lowden returns for the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
‘Slow Horses’ is adapted from Mick Herron’s eponymous novel series, which is also known as ‘Slough House’, named for the low-rent MI5 office our heroes work from.
Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but misanthropic leader of the spies, who end up in Slough House due to their career-ending mistakes as they frequently find themselves blundering around the smoke and mirrors of the espionage world.
In season three, a romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London. When Lamb and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House… But of MI5 itself.
Who stars in ‘Slow Horses’?
(L to R) Saskia Reeves and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù star in the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù joins the season three cast as Sean Donovan, the former head of security at the British embassy in Istanbul, along with Katherine Waterston who plays Alison Dunn, an MI5 agent who uncovers a dark secret at the heart of the agency.
(L to R) Jack Lowden and Rosalind Eleazar star in the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
In keeping with the filming plan, a fourth season, adapting Herron’s book ‘Spook Street’, was shooting in London this past April, which hopefully means it’ll be arriving next year.
Gary Oldman talks ‘Slow Horses’?
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 2, premiering December 2, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Here’s what Oldman told The Wrap about his role as Lamb:
“It is oddly very liberating to play a character who is openly hostile and publicly humiliates people. But at the core, he has a very strong moral sense. I think that’s why, ultimately, you can like Lamb even though he’s not P.C.”
When will ‘Slow Horses’ return for Season 3?
Christopher Chung stars in the third season of ‘Slow Horses,’ coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, December 1, 2023.
With the first two seasons already streaming on Apple TV+, the third will launch globally on Wednesday, November 29th with two episodes, while one new episode will land weekly on Wednesdays through December 27th.
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 2, premiering December 2, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Premiering on Apple TV+ beginning December 2nd is the second season of the popular spy series ‘Slow Horses.’
The first season followed British MI5 agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), who after a botched mission is exiled to Slough House, which is nicknamed “Slow Horses” and is an administrative purgatory for service agents.
Cartwright and his fellow former agents now perform boring administrative tasks and work for the miserable Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who expects everyone to quit out of frustration, but the team soon becomes entangled in a dangerous mission at London’s Regent’s Park.
The second season will revolve around the investigation of a retired Cold War era spy, who is found dead on a bus miles away from where he works or lives.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gary Oldman and Saskia Reeves about their work on ‘Slow Horses’ season 2, the new plot, how Reeves prepares for her role, and how Catherine and Jackson’s relationship has changed since season one.
(L to R) Saskia Reeves and Gary Oldman star in Apple TV+’s ‘Slow Horses’ season 2.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Oldman, Reeves, and Jack Lowden about ‘Slow Horses’ Season 2.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you both talk about what fans can expect from season 2 of ‘Slow Horses?’
Gary Oldman: Well, season two begins with a suspicious death, a Cold War era spy, retired ex-spy Dickie Bow is found on a bus miles away from where he works or lives. We are told that he has died from a heart attack.
Jackson had a relationship with Dickie back in the old days and is suspicious that he died, that it was natural causes and thinks that there’s something a little more mysterious to this death that meets the eye. He gathers his dysfunctional team to really start to investigate.
Saskia Reeves: He’s known to Catherine as well because they’re part of the same crew as it were years ago. Dickie has a reputation, a very bad reputation. So, there’s all sorts of little clues that bring these two characters together.
It’s almost like they can’t not get involved, isn’t it? Sometimes when I’m working on this story, I often imagine that we’re not spies, we’re actors. So, it’d be like an actor you worked with in Liverpool 30 years ago or something.
Saskia Reeves in ‘Slow Horses’ season 2, premiering December 2, 2022 on Apple TV+.
GA: When he mysteriously dies you think, “Oh no, there’s something up,” and you want to find out.
SR: And he got really bad reviews when in fact he was actually quite a good actor. So, I do synonyms. I think, oh, how can I get closer to this material? So, it’s like Jackson and Catherine share a knowledge of him and the history and everything. Then even more history comes up.
GA: Mind you though, there’s probably a few actors that would come up from the old days and you would say, “Well, okay.”
MF: Finally, Saskia can you talk about how Catherine and Jackson’s relationship has changed since the first season?
SR: I mean there’s a definite undertone in the backstory and it actually exists through quite a few of the books written by Mick Herron, and is rumbling in the background in the series, which is great to have as you build the story and the characters. She takes the opportunity to be helpful and get involved, which is great fun to do.
Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’ season 2, premiering December 2, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden in “Slow Horses,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
Premiering on Apple TV+ beginning April 1st is the new spy series ‘Slow Horses,’ which is based on author Mick Herron’s novel of the same name.
The series follows British MI5 agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), who after a botched mission is exiled to Slough House, which is an administrative purgatory for service agents. Cartwright and his fellow former agents now perform boring administrative tasks and work for the miserable Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), who expects everyone to quit out of frustration.
But soon the former agents of Slough House, or Slow Horses as they’ve been nicknamed, become entangled in a dangerous mission at London’s Regent’s Park. In addition to Lowden and Oldman, the cast also includes Olivia Cooke, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Pryce.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden about their work on ‘Slow Horses.
You can read our full interview with Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden below, or watch a video of our interviews with Oldman, Lowden, Olivia Cooke, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Pryce in the player above.
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Moviefone: To begin with, Gary can you talk about your approach to taking this character from the page to the screen?
Gary Oldman: Well, I was very lucky because Jackson Lamb is really created, he’s from the imagination of Mick Herron, who is the writer of the books that the series is based on. He created this world and this incredible character, and it was all there. It was all pretty much on the page. All I had to do was just follow all the signposts.
I knew immediately when I read the book and read the scripts, I just thought I could have a lot of fun playing Jackson. I don’t particularly like him, but I do like playing him and his interaction with the characters in the piece. But a lot of the work, I must say, was done for me in the writing, because it’s very, very good writing.
MF: Finally, Jack can you talk about your character’s journey and how he feels about being sent to Slough House?
Jack Lowden: He goes there because he is pushed into making a mistake, given the wrong information, which only adds to his constant frustration. The fact is that he’s just in this one big, bad mood for all six episodes. So, it’s definitely not his fault. I think we were talking earlier about the fact that Jackson, his boss, knows that because he knows everything and chooses to sort of beat him with it.
I think his career, when we meet him is probably going brilliantly well. I think it’s probably going very well. I think where he then ends up is just not something that he could foresee at all. Then it all just comes crumbling down through no fault of his own.
Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden in “Slow Horses,” now streaming on Apple TV+.
“The English Patient” star Kristin Scott Thomas is joining the upcoming Netflix/Working Title remake of “Rebecca,” and she’ll be playing one of the most iconic villains in filmdom: Mrs. Danvers.
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film of the same name, which starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, won a Best Picture Oscar. (The director’s only film to win the honor.)
James will play a naive young woman who marries a rich widower and is intimidated by his housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who constantly compares her to his late, legendary wife, Rebecca.
Judith Anderson,played the menacing Mrs. Danvers in the 1940 film, a performance that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
Among Scott Thomas’s recent roles: Ryan Gosling’s criminal mother in “Only God Forgives” and Churchill’s wife Clementine in “Darkest Hour.”
