Slow Horses season 5: Release date and latest news

The story will see Christopher Chung's Roddy Ho take centre stage, as the team investigate when they find out he has a glamorous new girlfriend, and are certain something more nefarious must be going on.

Fans who have already read Herron's books may think they know where the story is going, but the author himself has revealed that there are "a lot of interesting departures from the book" in season 5, all of which he "enjoyed" and some of which he himself instigated.

This new season will once again be released across a number of weeks, and fans don't need to worry this is the last time they'll see Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb and the rest of the Slough House team on screen – season 6 and season 7 have both already been confirmed.

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, when can fans expect Slow Horses season 5 to arrive on Apple TV+, what will it be about and who from the cast will be returning to their roles? Read on for everything we know.

When will Slow Horses season 5 be released?

The first episode of Slow Horses season 5 will be released on Wednesday 24th September on Apple TV+.

Future instalments will then arrive weekly, until the final episode drops on Wednesday 29th October.

The series has been remarkably efficient at releasing new seasons in a timely manner, with seasons 1 and 2 airing in 2022, season 3 arriving in November 2023 and season 4 coming to screens in September 2024. Season 5 will therefore be arriving almost exactly a year after the last instalment.

The show was officially renewed for season 5 in January 2024, while seasons 6 and 7 have also already been confirmed.

However, season 5 will be the last run to involve showrunner Will Smith, who has now departed the series.

What will Slow Horses season 5 be about?

Slow Horses season 5 will be based on the fifth novel in Mick Herron's Slough House series, London Rules.

An official synopsis has already been released for the season, which teases: "In season 5 of Slow Horses, everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho has a glamorous new girlfriend. When a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected.

"After all, Jackson Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules – cover your back – always apply."

Beyond this, we also have the blurb to go on from the London Rules book - although, of course, changes could have been made to this in the adaptation.

The blurb says: "At Regent's Park, the Intelligence Service HQ, its new chief Claude Whelan is learning the job the hard way.

"Tasked with protecting a beleaguered Prime Minister, he's facing attack from all directions: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on No. 10; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble.

"Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks. Over at Slough House, the last stop for washed-up spies, the crew are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath.

"But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - making a bad situation much, much worse."

Who will star in Slow Horses season 5?

The majority of the main cast of Slow Horses will be back, including Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb, Kristin Scott Thomas's Diana Taverner, Jackson Lowden's River Cartwright and Christopher Chung's Roddy Ho, among others.

The end of season 4 looked like it could have potentially marked the final time we would see Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright, with the character set up in a retirement home by River, but he has now also been confirmed among the returning cast.

We also know that Hugo Weaving's Frank Harkness will also return, but it seems he's unlikely to be back in season 5, and will instead return in season 6.

Weaving confirmed this when speaking at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, as reported by Variety, with the actor saying he would be returning to London in January 2025 for a two-and-a-half month shoot.

He said: "Each season generally is a book, but also each season departs a little bit from those books. We’re getting to the point with Slow Horses where the seasons are catching up to the amount of books that [Mick] Herron has written."

He had previously told Forbes of his potential return: "You probably know that Frank is in one of the other books, and so the assumption is at the end of this season, and certainly to anyone who had read the books, is that Frank will be coming back.

"Frank gets to play his Get Out of Jail Free card, which he has had all along because he knows that MI5 and David Cartwright tried to set him up. He knows he's got that, so he can say that fabulous line, 'I'll get the next train.' He can be that sort of a character because he actually is a survivor and excellently slippery."

One character we won't see more from is Kadiff Kirwan's Marcus Longridge, after he met his tragic end during the season 4 finale.

We also know a couple of new stars joining the season, with Nick Mohammed and Hib Bennani playing new major characters in season 5.

Here's a list of the confirmed stars and characters for season 5:

• Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
• 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
• Nick Mohammed as Zafar Jaffrey
• Hiba Bennani as Tara

Is there a trailer for Slow Horses season 5?

There is! You can watch the season 5 trailer right here now.

Slow Horses season 5 will start streaming on Apple TV+ from Wednesday 24th September. Seasons 1-4 are available to watch now – sign up to Apple TV+ here.

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