Apple TV has announced a season 5 for Slow Horses. Given season 3 just ended last week (season 4 is already made) the audience figures must be very strong. Rotten Tomatoes rates it 97% critics and 96% audience — very good indeed, even if the volume of reviews isn’t massive.
Here’s what they have to say:
Since its premiere in 2022, Slow Horses has been celebrated as “undoubtedly the best spy…
This show just keeps getting better and better. It's funny and witty has a good mystery and the acting is top notch. I couldn't wait for season 4 so I have started the book on which the next season is based on and the books are just as funny and engaging. A must watch (and read if you enjoy these sorts of stories which I do!).
P.S. I hope for the sake of the cast that Gary Oldman isn't a method actor! 😂
Will starts a physical affair / FWB thing with (what he thinks is) Hannibal's sister (Hanne?), whom he meets outside Hannibal's office and who seems extremely attracted to Will from the get-go.
SBIFF Cinema Society Q&A - Slow Horses with Gary Oldman and Douglas Urbanski recap
A recap of the juiciest tidbits from the panel featuring Gary Oldman and Douglas Urbanski:
About season 6
Season 6 is currently in pre-production, with most episodes already written.
Adam Randall, the director for Season 4, will helm the entire sixth season.
Production has allowed Randall to contribute to the writing process by joining the writers in the writing room.
Gary Oldman has already read the scripts and finds them fantastic.
About season 5
Season 5 will unveil a significant revelation about Lamb's past.
Viewers will catch a glimpse of Lamb's house.
Gary Oldman describes this season as truly impressive and with a more Le Carré-esque feel, akin to season 2.
Expect an intense exchange where Lamb blackmails Diana.
New, incredible insults directed at River are on the horizon.
Season 5 is a 'three farts season,' says Oldman, laughing his ass off.
About Mick Herron
Gary Oldman asked Mick Herron for extra information about Lamb when working on S1 but quickly realized that the character is a mystery even for his creator. Herron's response is often "I don't know".
Mick Herron asked Gary Oldman to accompany him to a signing session just before the release of the first season, not realizing that the show would eventually relieve him of his signing session obligations for good.
It was actually Mick Herron who suggested using David Cornwell, John Le Carré's real name, as the name on Lamb's passport that briefly appears in S1. And Kristen Scott Thomas's casting as Diana Taverner was inspired by her previous work with Gary Oldman on the set of The Darkest Hour.
Behind the scene
Will Smith is frequently on set, going over scripts with the actors.
Occasionally, there's room for improvisation.
With a single director overseeing the entire season, the Slow Horses team remains committed to their vision for nearly a year of continuous work on set.
Gary Oldman receives the scripts really early for every season.
Fart acting are obviously "sound effects".
There are emails going back and forth between Oldman and production about 'fart acting.' The one in the car in S3 was praised as 'robust.' There were emails about 'the frequency' of the sound because the car has leather seats, being a Rolls Royce.
The trench coat remains the same, unchanged since the very first season. No one is allowed to wash it.
Kristen Scott Thomas's casting as Diana Taverner was inspired by her previous work with Gary Oldman on the set of The Darkest Hour.
Almost all the crew come back year after year.
Gary Oldman compares working with the cast of Slow Horses to the joy of winning his Oscar.