Apple TV has unveiled five new additions to the cast of ‘Slow Horses‘ for season seven, including familiar faces from ‘Doctor Who’, ‘MobLand’ and ‘Downton Abbey’. And, because one dose of MI5 office politics is apparently never enough, a familiar former boss is also returning to cause trouble for Jackson Lamb and his collection of spectacularly dysfunctional spies.
Leading the newcomers is Varada Sethu (‘Doctor Who’, ‘Andor’), joined by Ethan Moorhouse (‘MobLand’, ‘Ludwig’) and Tuppence Middleton (‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’, ‘Mank’). Also joining the cast are Merab Ninidze (‘Homeland’, ‘The Courier’) and Joshua McGuire (‘The Gold’, ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’).
Apple has yet to reveal who the five actors will be playing, so there’s plenty of room for speculation about whether they’re joining the intelligence services, working against them, or simply making the unfortunate mistake of getting anywhere near Slough House. With this particular gang, even the seemingly straightforward jobs have a habit of becoming national security incidents.
There’s also a returning face in the shape of James Callis (‘Battlestar Galactica’), who is back as Claude Whelan. The former MI5 First Desk was last seen in season five, and his return makes particular sense given the material being adapted. Anyone hoping Whelan’s absence might have made the intelligence services run more smoothly is probably being a little optimistic.
A Mole In The Heart Of Government
Season seven will adapt Bad Actors, the eighth novel in Mick Herron’s acclaimed Slough House book series. According to Apple’s official synopsis, Jackson Lamb and his team must track down and neutralise a mole inside the British Government before the infiltrator can bring down the state. So, just another quiet week for MI5’s least appreciated department, then.
The original novel starts with the disappearance of a Downing Street superforecaster, an adviser whose job involves predicting how the public will react to government policy. Claude Whelan gets dragged into the hunt, which takes him into some decidedly uncomfortable territory involving MI5’s senior leadership and political manoeuvring. That’s the book’s starting point rather than a confirmed scene-by-scene outline for the television adaptation, but it gives a flavour of the sort of chaos heading Lamb’s way.
Gary Oldman (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, ‘Darkest Hour’) will, of course, be back as Jackson Lamb, the brilliantly sharp, magnificently unpleasant leader of the agents exiled to Slough House after career-ending mistakes. Their continued ability to save the day while irritating absolutely everyone remains one of the show’s great pleasures.
The seventh season is adapted for television by Ben Vanstone, with Robert McKillop directing. See-Saw Films continues to produce the series for Apple TV. The drama has become one of the streamer’s most reliably entertaining hits, juggling genuine espionage tension with an impressively British talent for insults, bureaucracy and people making a terrible situation somehow worse.
And There’s Already More On The Way
The casting announcement arrives as season six approaches its finale this week. If you’re not caught up, the first five complete seasons are already available on Apple TV, while the sixth has been releasing weekly. We’ll keep things spoiler-free here, particularly as Apple hasn’t yet detailed the full returning ensemble for season seven.
And fans don’t need to worry about this being Lamb’s final outing. Apple has already renewed ‘Slow Horses’ for an eighth season, which will adapt Mick Herron’s Clown Town, the ninth novel in the series. That means there are at least two more seasons of questionable personnel management, high-stakes spying and Jackson Lamb being Jackson Lamb on the way.
There is currently no confirmed premiere date for season seven, but given how quickly the show has kept rolling from one instalment to the next, there’s certainly plenty to look forward to once the current mission wraps up.
‘Slow Horses‘ Season 7 is coming to Apple TV. A premiere date has yet to be announced.
If I want to keep track of this or any other shows, I can add them via our Never Miss system, and I’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
Login to Geektown