'Slow Horses' Officially Confirmed to Return for Season 7

Not all Americans understand precisely how actors become Sirs and Dames. It's a multiple-step process, starting with being awarded Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), or Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). Those non-titled awards are given out at the New Year's Honours. 

Being promoted to Knight Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, or a Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, is part of the King's (or Queen's) Birthday Honours, which occurs in June. For 2025, King Charles III bestowed that honor on David Beckham (which means Posh is now Lady Beckham), Roger Daltrey of The Who, and actor Gary Oldman.

Now styled Sir Gary Oldman, the actor gave multiple interviews in the wake of receiving his knighthood, and was naturally asked about his current hit series, Slow Horses. Oldman not only expressed enthusiasm about starring in the show for as long as it runs, but he also inadvertently revealed that the show had already been renewed for Season 7, and he would be returning.

It took about a month for Apple TV+ to respond, but on July 8, 2025, the streaming service announced that Season 7 was, in fact, a go, and that the new six-episode season would adapt author Mick Herron's next novel in the Slow Horses series, Bad Actors.

The current logline for Season 7 reads:

In season seven, Lamb and his Slow Horses are on the hunt to find and neutralize a mole at the heart of the British Government before they can bring down the state.

Here's the synopsis for the novel Bad Actors, which is far more forthcoming.

In London’s MI5 headquarters ,a scandal is brewing that could disgrace the entire intelligence community. The Downing Street superforecaster—a specialist who advises the Prime Minister’s office on how policy is likely to be received by the electorate—has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, who was once head of MI5, has been tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads him straight back to Regent’s Park itself, with First Desk Diana Taverner as chief suspect. Has Taverner overplayed her hand at last? 

Meanwhile, her Russian counterpart, Moscow intelligence’s First Desk, has cheekily shown up in London and shaken off his escort. Are the two unfortunate events connected? Over at Slough House, where Jackson Lamb presides over some of MI5’s most embittered demoted agents, the slow horses are doing what they do best, and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation… There are bad actors everywhere, and they usually get their comeuppance before the credits roll. But politics is a dirty business, and in a world where lying, cheating, and backstabbing are the norm, sometimes the good guys can find themselves outgunned.

Considering how many characters get killed off per season, which seems to include at least one longtime cast member per season in more recent times, Apple TV+ has understandably not announced who exactly will be returning for Season 7. (Chances are, the fandom will take any omissions from the cast list as spoilers for Seasons 5 and 6, neither of which has been released yet.)

That being said, Oldman already confirmed his return as Jackson Lamb. Moreover, it seems likely that some combination of the current full-time cast roster will remain intact for the next two seasons. 

Post Season 4, that includes Jack Lowden (The Gold) as River Cartwright, Kristen Scott Thomas (Rebecca) as Diana Taverner, Saskia Reeves (Roadkill) as Catherine Standish, Rosalind Eleazar (The Personal History of David Copperfield) as Louisa Guy, Christopher Chung (Blitz) as Roddy Ho, Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Wolf Hall) as Shirley Dander, Jonathan Pryce (The Crown) as David Cartwright, Joanna Scanlan (The Larkins) as Moira Tregorian, Ruth Bradley (Guilt) as Emma Flyte, and Tom Brooke (Bodyguard) as J.K. Coe.

Notably, Season 5's big new addition, Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), is not listed to return for Season 6. Season 6 will reportedly introduce Lenny Rush (Doctor Who) to the series, but considering Apple TV+ has not yet confirmed this, it is unclear if he will continue into Season 7.

Slow Horses' longtime lead writer, Will Smith, is adapting Season 5 before passing the torch to Gaby Chiappe in Season 6. For Season 7, she will pass the baton to Ben Vanstone (All Creatures Great & Small), with new-to-the-series director Robert McKillop (Guilt) set to direct all six installments. Vanstone, Herron, and Oldman are listed as executive producers, alongside Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gail Mutrux, Douglas Urbanski, and Graham Yost.

Slow Horses Season 5 is set to debut on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode per week through October. Season 6 is expected to follow in 2026, and Season 7 is expected to follow in 2027. Seasons 1 through 4 are streaming on Apple TV+.