Slow Horses is back… again! A “magnificent” series 7 is coming with a “significant” challenge in store

There’s no slowing down for Slow Horses. While fans of the darkly comedic and gripping spy drama are waiting with bated breath for the September 24^th launch of series 5, we can reveal some brilliant news. Yes, Apple TV+ has confirmed that a seventh series of Slow Horses has been commissioned that will start filming this autumn - and it sounds pretty magnificent. Hallelujah, we hear you cry!

Starring the recently knighted Sir Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the gloriously grumpy, slovenly and crude spymaster, series 7 of Slow Horses is set to be another six-episode dose of premium British espionage chaos. Razor-sharp writing will see more of Lamb’s brilliant scathing put-downs for his crew of disgraced agents at Slough House, while the nail-biting suspense of series 7’s storyline, that comes with a significant challenge, will have viewers on the edge of their seats.

While we await more details about series 7, here’s everything you need to know about Slow Horses, including the plot, cast and all the inside info.

What is Slow Horses about?

Hailed as “undoubtedly the best spy series on television", the Apple TV+ hit drama is adapted from Mick Herron’s best-selling books - and series 7 of Slow Horses is based on Herron’s Bad Actors, the eighth book in the award-winning Slough House series.

Gary Oldman and Kristen Scott Thomas in Slow Horses

For anybody new to Slow Horses, it 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. Gary Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but cantankerous leader of a band of misfit spies, known in the spy trade as ‘slow horses’. They 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 to defend England from sinister forces.

What will happen in Slow Horses series 7?

An official brief synopsis has just been released for Slow Horses series 7, which teases that Lamb and his band of slow horses will be “on the hunt to find and neutralise a mole in the heart of British government before they can bring down the state.” In other words, they've got quite the challenge on their hands.

While the full synopsis has not yet been revealed, fans of Slow Horses and Herron’s books are speculating that the storyline for series 7 will closely follow the plot of his spy thriller Bad Actors. The story centres around a brewing scandal that could disgrace the entire intelligence community when a key member of a Downing Street think tank who advises the Prime Minister's office disappears without trace. The investigation, led by former MI5 First Desk Claude Whelan, unexpectedly leads back to Regent's Park, with Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas), the current First Desk, as the prime suspect.

Over at Slough House, where Jackson Lamb presides over some of MI5’s most embittered demoted agents, the slow horses are doing what they do best, and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation.

Who's starring in Slow Horses series 7?

Gary Oldman in Slow Horses

Gary Oldman, the Academy Award winner who has been honoured with Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA nominations for his outstanding performances in Slow Horses, is the only cast member to be officially confirmed for series 7.

While fans of the “truly epic espionage thriller” are delighted that Oldman will be returning as Jackson Lamb to his filthy desk in Slough House, we're hoping the following key cast members from series 5 will also be returning:

• Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
• Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
• Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
• Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy
• Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
• Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander
• Ruth Bradley as Emma Flyte
• Tom Brooke as JK Coe
• James Callis as Claude Whelan
• Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright

Is Slow Horses any good?

We absolutely love Slow Horses' mix of high-stakes tension and hilarity. And we're not alone. Slow Horses has racked up critical acclaim across the globe. All four series of the celebrated BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning espionage drama hold a Certified Fresh score, with two series receiving a rare, perfect 100% critics’ score and series four hailed as the number one series of 2024 on Rotten Tomatoes. The third series earned nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with a win for “Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series”.

“Slow Horses has won fans all over the world with its unique mix of self-deprecating British humour and high-octane action”, says Jay Hunt, Creative Director, Europe, Apple TV+. “I’m delighted viewers will have another season to enjoy Gary’s magnificent performance as Jackson Lamb alongside the Slow Horses slightly inept spycraft.”

Those new to the show, which has an average score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, have 24 episodes of delicious action to catch up on before the fifth, sixth, and seventh series land. We're seriously jealous!

How can I watch Slow Horses series 7?

Apple TV+ hasn't yet shared a release date for Slow Horses series 7. But don’t despair, there's an opportunity for a Slow Horses fix in the meantime. If you haven’t already, you can binge the first four series on Apple TV+ while counting down to the release of series 5 on 24^th September.