Robert Hobden

**Robert Hobden** is a supporting character played by Paul Hilton in Season 1 of Apple TV+'s *Slow Horses*.

## History

Hobden, at a diner, talks on the phone, waiting for a fin to break and asks for 2000 words on the newspaper once the event that he is waiting for happens. Sid, next to him talks and asks if she could borrow his *Times*. When she gets up, she dumps coffee all over his table, which makes him get up quickly. When he leaves, she grabs his flashdrive and connects it to her computer.

Hobden walks into the diner, wondering if the girl who spilled his coffee had left soon after him and if she had visited recently. She tells the waiter that if she came back, to give him a call. When Hobden leaves, the waiter throws the napkin in the trash. Later, Hobden tells Jack that people would die if he did not take action.

Hobden calls Nick Drew, asking to be put on whoever was on the news desk, but gets no answer. He does this many times until he leaves the restaurant, followed by River, who picks up a cellphone that he threw away. River follows him throughout the city until Hobden makes it onto a bus and another one after that, sensing that he was being followed. Unbeknownst to him, River had already been waiting for him on that bus.

River walks in and hears struggling. A masked man with a gun is holding Hobden, so River tells him that there would be reinforces in minutes and if they saw him with a gun, they would just kill him. There is an explosion and River tries fighting the man, but is taken down. At the entrance, Sid struggles with the man. River hears a gunshot and rushes to the door, where he finds Sid had been shot in the head.

Hobden knocks on a door and asks to see Peter inside. The man welcomes Hobden heartily, but after telling his security guard to leave, he asks him what the hell he was doing there. He tells Hobden he is toxic, but Hobden says that someone had tried to kill him to get his laptop. Peter asks why MI5 would want his computer and Hobden explains that he has intel on his computer about the Muslim boy who was kidnapped.

Hobden says that he has no proof, but MI5 must think he does and that is why they had tried to kill him. Hobden begs Peter to tell them that the whole setup and supposed execution is a fake, that the Sons of Albion who have never been more than a bunch of moronic street thugs have been set up by the intelligence services. Hobden asks him for his help, but Peter says that they are not friends and he is a has-been. He tells him that it is all a setup and everyone would be killed, but Peter tells him that he does not have any of the contacts he is talking about. Hobden tells him that he has a photo of him at the rally, so Peter allows him to stay.

Hobden apologizes for threatening Peter, but he asks him to realize that they wanted everyone to forget about body parts on the tube and violence. He asks Peter to do something which would end up benefiting him in the end, since it would help make the country go towards the left. He says that he does not want to have to use the photo and wants him to do it willingly, but Peter punches him square in the face and puts his hand in a bucket of cold water. He tells Hobden that the photo does not exist, saying that even if it did, anyone who was in it would make sure all copies and negatives were destroyed. If he did have the photo somehow, he can brush it off very fast, so he tells him to get out of his house before he punches him again. Hobden gets up and leaves the house.

Later, when Hassan had finally been rescued by the MI5 after nearly being killed, Hobden calls Natasha, telling her that he needs to be brought in and be put on air because what was being said on the news is bullshit. As he talks, Duffy walks past him and shoves him onto an oncoming truck.