“Slow Horses” is not just one of the best shows on TV right now. It also has one of modern television’s best ensembles. Over the course of its first four seasons, the Apple TV+ series has found surprising ways to shake up and reorganize its cast as well. That trend does not end with “Slow Horses” Season 5, which features a number of returning characters and introduces viewers to some new faces, all while saying goodbye to others.
Here is what you need to know about the cast of “Slow Horses” Season 5 and where you might have seen its stars before.
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
“Slow Horses” still has its brilliant, caustic leader in Season 5. Gary Oldman reprises his role as Jackson Lamb, the prickly head of Slough House.
One of the most revered actors of his generation, Oldman is best known for his transformative performances as Dracula in 1992’s “Dracula,” James Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy and Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” films. He won an Oscar in 2018 for his lead performance as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.”
Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
Jack Lowden is also back in “Slow Horses” Season 5 as River Cartwright, the over-ambitious MI5 outcast. Outside of his lead, Emmy-nominated work in “Slow Horses,” Lowden is best known for playing Collins in “Dunkirk,” Siegfried Sassoon in “Benediction” and Kenneth Noye in “The Gold.”
Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho
Christopher Chung’s arrogant, self-involved computer hacker Roddy Ho returns in “Slow Horses” Season 5, and he has an even bigger role in the Apple TV+ series’ new episodes than fans might expect.
In addition to “Slow Horses,” viewers will recognize Chung best for his turns as Archie Wong on “Waterloo Road,” Fred in last year’s “Blitz” and Cassio Palin-Paleen in the 2025 “Doctor Who” episode, “The Well.”
Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley Dander
Aimee-Ffion Edwards reprises her role as Shirley Dander, Slough House’s resident unpolished, scrappy fighter, in “Slow Horses” Season 5. The actress previously played Esme Shelby in Netflix’s “Peaky Blinders” and Jenny Jones in the Idris Elba-led “Luther.”
Tom Brooke as J.K. Coe
After making his quiet but impactful debut last season, Tom Brooke is back in “Slow Horses” Season 5 as J.K. Coe, the perpetually hooded, soft-spoken PTSD-riddled MI5 operative. TV viewers will likely recognize Brooke from his recurring role as Fiore on AMC’s “Preacher.”
Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
She may not be MI5 First Chair anymore, but that does not mean Kristin Scott Thomas’ Diana Taverner is going anywhere. Both the character and actress are back in “Slow Horses” Season 5.
As accomplished as practically any of her acting contemporaries, Thomas is best known for playing Sylvia McCordle in “Gosford Park,” Fiona in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and Clemmie in 2017’s “Darkest Hour.” In 1997, she scored an Oscar nomination for her performance as Katharine Clifton in “The English Patient.”
Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
There can be no Jackson Lamb without Catherine Standish on hand to look after him (and call him out on his often boorish behavior). It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that Saskia Reeves has returned as Standish in “Slow Horses” Season 5.
Fans of British television will likely remember Reeves for her recurring turn as DSU Rose Teller in the first season of “Luther.” She also starred opposite Saoirse Ronan in the underrated 2024 film drama “The Outrun.”
Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright
A veritable legend of the stage and screen, Jonathan Pryce graces “Slow Horses” with his presence once again in its fifth season as David Cartwright, the mentally failing grandfather of Lowden’s River.
Pryce famously played Sam Lowry in “Brazil,” the villainous James Bond antagonist Elliot Carver in 1997’s “Tomorrow Never Dies” and Prince Philip in the fifth and sixth seasons of Netflix’s “The Crown.” He also portrayed Governor Weatherby Swann, the father of Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann, in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. In 2020, the actor landed an Oscar nomination for his performance as Pope Francis in “The Two Popes.”
James Callis as Claude Whelan
James Callis is back as Claude Whelan, MI5’s appointed First Desk, in “Slow Horses” Season 5. Outside of “Slow Horses,” Callis is best known for playing President Gaius Baltar in the 2000s reimagining of “Battlestar Galactica,” Tom in the “Bridget Jones” films and Simon Hardwick in “Blood & Treasure.”
Ruth Bradley as Emma Flyte
Rounding out the returning “Slow Horses” Season 5 faces is Ruth Bradley, who reprises her role as Head Dog Emma Flyte in the Apple TV+ series’ new episodes. Bradley made her debut as the character in “Slow Horses” Season 4. She previously played Ms. Bowen in “Ted Lasso,” Karen Voss in “Humans” and Isabelle Cooper in “The Gold.”
Nick Mohammed as Zafar Jaffrey
Leading “Slow Horses’” batch of newcomers this season is Nick Mohammed, who stars in the Apple TV+ series as fictional London Mayor Zafar Jaffrey. Mohammed is best known for playing Nate “The Great” Shelley in “Ted Lasso.” He also starred opposite Bryce Dallas Howard and Orlando Bloom in the 2025 film comedy “Deep Cover.”
Cherrelle Skeete as Devon Welles
Cherrelle Skeete makes her debut in “Slow Horses” Season 5 as Devon Welles, MI5’s new deputy Dog. Skeete previously portrayed Terri Miller in Amazon’s “Hanna” and Bryony Cummings in “The Midwich Cuckoos.”
Hiba Bennani as Tara
Hiba Bennani stars in “Slow Horses” Season 5 as Tara, the new girlfriend of Chung’s Roddy Ho. While her role in “Slow Horses” is one of the most noteworthy of Bennani’s career to date, the actress notably played Saada in Showtime’s “Ghosts of Beirut” and Naila in the Moroccan TV series “2 Wjouh.”
Christopher Villiers as Dennis Gimball
Christopher Villiers has a prominent role in “Slow Horses” Season 5 as Dennis Gimball, the right-wing populist blowhard running for Mayor of London against Mohammed’s Jaffrey.
Villiers is best known for playing Nigel in 1984’s “Top Secret!,” Colonel Brigwell in “Hetty Feather” and Robert in 2023’s “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.”
Victoria Hamilton as Dodie Gimball
British actress Victoria Hamilton stars in “Slow Horses” Season 5 as Dodie Gimball, the powerful journalist wife of Villiers’ Dennis.
Viewers will likely remember Hamilton for her turns as Maria Bertram in “Mansfield Park,” Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in the first and second seasons of Netflix’s “The Crown” and Mrs. Forster in the 1995 limited series adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.”
New episodes of “Slow Horses” Season 5 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
