“I just binged Slow Horses series 5 and this crucial plot detail shocked me!”

*Warning: Contains Slow Horses series 5 spoilers

I knew that Apple TV+'s Slow Horses consistently delivers explosive twists and turns - and, thankfully, series 5 does too. But having just binged the whole of the new instalment, there’s one crucial plot detail which really shocked me - and, trust me, you won’t have seen it coming!

The fifth series has quite a few surprises in store, as there’s a new leading man in town, with Roddy Ho (played by Christopher Chung) taking stepping into the spotlight after he’s implicated in a honeytrap plot. Then there’s the fact that it’s funnier than previous series - whether it’s slimy ‘First Desk’ Claude Whelan’s pathetic jogging or Roddy’s ‘80s dance moves - and, of course, plenty of sarcastic one-liners from Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman).

But one of the most shocking moments in the series comes from the mouth of grubby head of Slough House, Lamb. When the department is put under lockdown, thanks to Roddy Ho being compromised by a glamorous femme fatale, Lamb tells a story seemingly designed to give his colleagues an idea of how to escape their way from the clutches of MI5 muscle, called The Dogs, who are guarding them in the office.

He tells them a story about the Stasi – the secret police of East Germany - who tortured a “Joe” of his in Berlin. They burned off the soles of his feet with an aerosol can, Lamb says, but refused to give away the information that the police really wanted: a name.

To try and get the information, the Stasi found his only weakness - a local woman who he’d become serious with, “maybe not love, but the closest thing a Spook can come to” - and tortured her in front of him, while she was pregnant with his child. However, he still wouldn’t give up the name to them.

They eventually killed the woman, but he says the reason he didn’t give up the name was because he didn’t have it, and he was later released. As Lamb finishes telling the story, River and co use an aerosol can and a lighter to escape the clutches of the Dogs, so we think the story was all a clever ruse by Lamb. But at the very end of the series, we see Lamb removing his socks to reveal scarred and burned soles. So it seems Jackson Lamb was the protagonist of his story, and that he’s capable of affection, after all…

Slow Horses series 5 premieres today, Wednesday 24th September, on Apple TV+, followed by one episode weekly until 22nd October. You can also stream series 1-4 on Apple TV+ now.