‘Slow Horses’ Season 5 Cast Guide (With Photos)

‘Slow Horses’ has returned for a fifth run on Apple TV+, and the ensemble of disgraced MI5 operatives at Slough House is once again led by Gary Oldman’s unwashed, foul mouthed spymaster Jackson Lamb. The new season adapts Mick Herron’s novel ‘London Rules,’ with the plot centering on Roddy Ho’s suspicious new girlfriend and a series of bizarre events that escalate into cyber interference and potential domestic terrorism.

The fifth season premiered on September 24, with the first two episodes launching together and the remaining four following weekly through October 22. This season also widens its scope beyond Slough House itself, as a mass shooting in London shakes up a heated mayoral race and leaves Shirley suspecting the attack was aimed at one of her own colleagues.

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman returns as Jackson Lamb, the Cold War era spymaster running Slough House, where MI5’s disgraced agents are sent after botching operations elsewhere. Apple’s own cast and crew listing confirms Oldman as the anchor of the series across all five seasons, alongside his additional role as an executive producer on the show.

Jack Lowden

Jack Lowden is back as River Cartwright, a competent but reckless agent who was sidelined to Slough House before he had the chance to prove himself at the main MI5 headquarters known as the Park. Outside of ‘Slow Horses,’ Lowden is best recognized for playing Collins in ‘Dunkirk,’ Siegfried Sassoon in ‘Benediction’ and Kenneth Noye in ‘The Gold.’

Kristin Scott Thomas

Kristin Scott Thomas continues in the role of Diana Taverner, and even though she is no longer MI5’s First Chair, that has not stopped her from remaining a constant presence in Lamb’s orbit. The character is often positioned as the leader of the Park’s career spies, putting her in regular conflict with Lamb and his team.

Saskia Reeves

Saskia Reeves is back as Catherine Standish, the long suffering Slough House stalwart who has served alongside Lamb since the earliest days of the show. Her steady presence has remained one of the more consistent threads running through the series as the rest of the team cycles through new crises each season.

Rosalind Eleazar

Rosalind Eleazar returns as Louisa Guy, a recovering cocaine addict working through her own history while still proving herself as a capable field operative. Her character continues to be paired closely with the rest of the Slough House unit as the group navigates the season’s central mystery.

Christopher Chung

Christopher Chung reprises Roddy Ho, and this season the arrogant, self involved hacker has an even bigger role after everyone becomes suspicious of his glamorous new girlfriend. Chung is also known for playing Archie Wong on ‘Waterloo Road,’ Fred in last year’s ‘Blitz’ and Cassio Palin Paleen in the 2025 ‘Doctor Who’ episode titled ‘The Well.’

Aimee-Ffion Edwards

Aimee-Ffion Edwards is back as Shirley Dander, described as Slough House’s unpolished, scrappy fighter. She previously played Esme Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’ and Jenny Jones in the Idris Elba led ‘Luther.’

Tom Brooke

Tom Brooke returns as J.K. Coe, the perpetually hooded, soft spoken MI5 operative dealing with PTSD, after making a quiet but impactful debut in the previous season. Brooke is also recognizable from his recurring role as Fiore on ‘Preacher.’

Nick Mohammed

Nick Mohammed joins the cast this season as Zafar Jaffrey, a politician with ambitions of becoming the next UK Prime Minister who gets pulled into the season’s central plot. Mohammed is widely recognized for his role in ‘Ted Lasso.’

Victoria Hamilton

Victoria Hamilton is new to the series this season as Dodie Gimbal, described as a newspaper columnist and campaign manager to a central character named Dennis. Her addition rounds out the season’s expanded storyline around the mayoral race that pulls Slough House into more public territory than usual.

With Roddy Ho’s love life throwing the whole team into chaos and a mayoral race now tangled up in Slough House business, who do you think ends up carrying this season, and does anyone else think Dodie Gimbal is hiding more than she lets on.