People:
Jack Lowden
Kristin Scott Thomas
Saskia Reeves
Hugo Weaving
Gary Oldman
OliRiver (Jack Lowden) and his fellow horses scramble to survive and uncover why.
byLeila Latif|Published on14th September 2026 at 11.43am
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Streaming on: Apple TV
Episodes viewed: 6 of 6
Slow Horses has never been rooted in the cheeriest of premises. Far from the silky-smooth glamorous heroics of Bond, it follows an MI5 offshoot based at Slough House, where the Secret Service’s least-prized agents are shipped off to languish. Led by the cantankerous and flatulent Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), its motley crew includes spy nepo baby River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), banished there in disgrace and forever trying to redeem himself. Over five seasons we’ve watched them bleed, grieve and stumble through one calamity after another. But even with that low bar for winning streaks, Season 6 is a particularly bruising affair.
River is already at a low ebb, dealing with a personal tragedy, when a pair of killers begin brutally murdering past and present “horses” one by one. The threat is made all the more ominous by the show’s cold palette of steely blues and queasy greens, but this being Slow Horses, the darkest situations provide ample opportunity for gallows humour. The horses’ identities have also been wiped from existence, taking them off the payroll for what Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) laments is already “the shittest job ever”. Meanwhile, newly promoted First Desk Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) barely has time to enjoy her elevated position before battling foreign and media influence with spycraft and lethally deployed one-liners.
Never loses its grubby, abrasive humour.
The mechanics of the plot, forcing horses past and present to go dark, allow for thrilling character returns: from former agent Struan Loy (Paul Higgins), now an aspiring property developer, to the unexpected return of Sid Baker (Oli, last seen seemingly dying in Season 1. Others, including mercenary and River’s worst-father-ever Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving), re-enter the frame by immediately reminding us just what a badass he is
The magic of Slow Horses has always been contained in its ability to switch, sometimes moment to moment, between brutal thrills and gleeful mockery. Oldman and Lowden continue to demonstrate why this has become one of television’s most reliably entertaining shows, equally adept at landing the punches and the punchlines. Even as this season puts its battered ensemble through the wringer, it never loses the grubby, abrasive humour that makes spending time in Slough House such a pleasure.
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Bleaker but no less hilarious, this remains a masterclass in balancing brutal espionage thrills with caustic comedy, making television’s shittest spies its very best.
People:
Jack Lowden
Kristin Scott Thomas
Saskia Reeves
Hugo Weaving
Gary Oldman
Oli
