Slow Horses

***Slow Horses*** is a television series distributed by Apple TV+ since April 1, 2022 with Season 1. It is based on the novel with the same name, which was written by author Mick Herron.

## Premise

*This is a darkly humorous espionage drama that follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 known un-affectionately as Slough House.*

## Cast

### Main

* Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
* Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
* Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner

### Slough House

Except as noted, each character has appeared in multiple seasons.

* Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
* Olivia Cooke as Sidonie “Sid” Baker (Season 1)
* Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
* Steven Waddington as Jed Moody (Season 1)
* Dustin Demri-Burns as Min Harper (Season 1- Season 2)
* Paul Higgins as Struan Loy (Season 1)
* Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander (Season 2)
* Kadiff Kirwan as Marcus Longridge (Season 2)

### Others

Notable other characters appearing in more than one season include:

* Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright
* Chris Reilly as Nick Duffy
* Samuel West as Peter Judd
* Sophie Okonedo as Ingrid Tearney
* Freddie Fox as James “Spider” Webb

#### Notable other characters appearing in Season 1:Slow Horses

* Paul Hilton as Robert Hobden
* Sam Hazeldine as Moe
* Brian Vernel as Curly
* Stephen Walters as Zeppo
* David Walmsley as Larry
* James Faulkner as Charles Partner

#### Notable other characters appearing in Season 2:Dead Lions include:

* Rade Serbedzija as Nikolai Katinsky
* Marek Vasut as Andre Chernitsky
* Alec Utgoff as Arkady Pashkin
* Catherine McCormack as Alex Tropper
* Adrian Rawlins as Duncan Tropper
* Tamsin Topolski as Kelly Tropper
* Phil Davis as Richard "Dickie" Bough

## Production

The series was given a straight to series order by Apple TV+ in October 2019, with Gary Oldman announced to star. The cast was rounded out in December 2020 with the additions of Olivia Cooke, Jonathan Pryce, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden. Initially the series was to consist of two seasons, but two additional seasons have since been ordered.

Filming began on 30 November 2020, in England, and continued into February 2021, with Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas spotted on set in Westminster, London. In July 2021, filming continued in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

It was originally intended to film earlier in 2020 but was delayed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the release date was announced in February 2022, it was also revealed that the first season would consist of 6 episodes, and that they would all be directed by James Hawes.

On April 22, 2022, around the time Season 1 premiered, James Hawes was interviewed, and he several caveats of information. Among them was revealing how he was "approached with the set of scripts and I tend to start by going to the scripts. I'll be perfectly honest I hadn't read Mick’s books ahead of time. Sew-Saw (Films, the production company) got in touch with me. I was one of the few directors who were sent the scripts for a response to the material. See if it struck a chord with me, something that I felt I could get excited by and bring to life and I surely did. A few meetings later, I was on".

At the end of "Old Scores, the Season 2 finale, Apple TV+ ended 2022 by giving fans a a teaser trailer for its succeeding season unveiling that there are still far too many secrets to uncover in this spy drama series. The one-minute clip includes lots of guns, knives, blood, theories, possible hostages, and much more. Moreover, the teaser trailer gives a glimpse of a bloody-faced River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) as someone eerily narrates the chilling line "secrets will always come out, there will always be a reckoning."

As of January 10, 2023, it was reported that filming for Season 3 is currently underway. Parking restrictions were in place around the Blavatnik building in Walton Street as film trucks parked up nearby. Moreover, a spokeswoman for the Blavatnik School of Government said: "Apple TV+ were filming inside at the weekend - they have now left". Furthermore, one Jericho resident said: "There were film trucks in Great Clarendon Street and Walton Street.

## Music

The title track "Strange Game" was performed by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who wrote the song exclusively for the show together with the show’s composer Daniel Pemberton.

## Gallery

### Promotional Images

Season 1 PosterSeason 1 BannerSeries Logo

### Videos

Slow Horses — Official Sneak Peek - Apple TV+Slow Horses — Official Trailer - Apple TV+Slow Horses Series World PremiereSlow Horses — Gary Oldman & Kristin Scott Thomas- Legendary Forces - Apple TV+Slow Horses — An Inside Look - Apple TV+Slow Horses Season 1 Featurette - 'Gary Oldman & Kristin Scott Thomas- Legendary Forces' - RTTVSLOW HORSES - Behind The Scenes Talk With Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden & Oliva Cooke - Apple TV+The 'Slow Horses' Cast Brief Us on Who’s Least Likely to Join MI5 - PEOPLE Pop QuizKristin Scott Thomas on Slow Horses & What She Found Challenging About Making Her First SeriesChristopher Chung interview on Slow Horses – Apple TV+ seriesSlow Horses — Season 2 Official Trailer - Apple TV+
## Trivia

* Season 1 is based on *Slow Horses (Book)*, the first of the "Slough House" series of novels by Mick Herron.
* Season 2 is directed by Jeremy Lovering and based on the second book in Herron's series, *Dead Lions*, which will premiere on December 2, 2022.
* Jack Lowden plays an English MI5 officer in the hit spy series... and most viewers will have no idea he is a proud Scot from the Borders.

## References

1. ↑ Gary Oldman To Star In Spy Drama ‘Slow Horses’ For Apple With ‘Justified’s Graham Yost Exec Producing - Deadline
2. ↑ ‘Slow Horses’ Renewed Through Season 4 at Apple TV+ - Hollywood Reporter
3. ↑ U.K. What’s Filming: ‘The Essex Serpent’ + ‘Slow Horses’ - Backstage
4. ↑ A & A Taxis and Cafe Max used as the backdrop for Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas spy drama - Stroud Times
5. ↑ Apple Restarts UK Drama Production, As ‘Suspicion’ & ‘Slow Horses’ Prepare To Shoot - Deadline
6. ↑ ‘Slow Horses’ Starring Gary Oldman & ‘Roar’ Anthology Series Get Premiere Dates On Apple TV+ - Deadline
7. ↑ Slow Horses Director James Hawes - 'I said, well, what about Jagger?' - Screen times
8. ↑ 'Slow Horses' Season 3 Teaser Reveals a New Mission for Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden - Collider
9. ↑ Gary Oldman spy drama is spotted filming at Oxford school - Oxford Mail
10. ↑ Mick Jagger’s ‘Slow Horses’ Theme Song ‘Strange Game’ Released - Film Music Reporter
11. ↑ Apple’s ‘Slow Horses’ Adds Olivia Cooke & Jonathan Pryce, As Producer See-Saw Shoots Two Stories Back-To-Back - Deadline
12. ↑ ‘Slow Horses’ Season 2 Arrives on Apple TV+ in Time for the Holidays - Collider
13. ↑ Slow Horses star Jack Lowden on how he gets frustrated at having to speak in an English accent - Scottish Daily Express