Robert Dover, Professor of Intelligence and National Security & Dean of Faculty, University of Hull
The fifth season of Slow Horses, Apple TV’s gripping spy drama based on Mick Herron’s novel London Rules, shines a light on opportunist politicians, media manipulation, radicalisation and moral panics. In doing so, Herron taps into the zeitgeist of Britain in 2025.
It is, perhaps, because it is so on point that the writers and producers have opted for a lighter tone, including more direct humour about the characters and amusing moments. This is, however, in keeping with Herron’s book, which includes such incidences as an accidental death through dropping a pot of paint. This humourous tone persists even though the action is set around a series of terrorist attacks, which includes a mass shooting outside a shopping centre.
Jackson Lamb, the head of Slough House – an offsite MI5 office for semi-outcast spies – remains the key protagonist. He is just as smelly (I assume) and obnoxious as he has been in the previous series. He ultimately wants to protect Slough House, and his team, even if he plays at being permanently disappointed and dismayed by them.
In this series, the Libyan terrorists at the story’s centre are dangerous and violent adversaries the team battle against. Interestingly, they use a succession of unrelated groups, and a compromised former home secretary to disorient the British spies. The main terrorist group are seeking revenge on the UK’s conduct during the Arab Spring and Libyan conflicts of 2011. But there are adversaries at home too.
The opening episode begins with a mass shooting outside a block of flats by a supporter of a populist MP running to be London mayor. The shooter has been radicalised online in incel forums. One of the victims of this shooter is a campaigner for the incumbent mayor. Further attacks take place, in what amounts to a picture of deliberate confusion by the Libyan attackers.
The choice to add comedy into this serious plot has had a mildly polarising effect on critics and fans alike. Some preferred the previous tradecraft-driven plots, while others like the more humorous turns of this season.
Contrary to some of the early reviews, I found this series to be nuanced and I think it would only improve with a repeat viewing. It makes a mosaic of many disconnected real-world events but also tells us much about how the political world and intelligence agencies operate too. The potential violent toxicity of previous foreign policy adventures, online radicalisation and populist politics has enough truth in it to make this series compelling and believable enough.
What this series shows well – as the comedy about four wannabee jihadis Four Lions did in 2010 – is that terrorists are not universally motivated by their cause. Those seeking to inflict terror can pull in disconnected groups and individuals motivated by money, opportunity or desire for violence. Discerning what is signal and what is noise among the carnage is as much a function of intelligence as it is for the viewer embarking on this series.
As an expert in covert human intelligence) (aka “agents”), I found the take on a honeytrap odd. This deceptive practice involves a spy using sexual attraction on a target. In this series, Slough House’s tech officer, Roddy Ho, is the unwitting mark for such a tactic.
Ho is presented as completely (albeit arrogantly) naive, when in reality MI5 officers are trained in this area. Human frailties will always be a risk, but Ho’s behaviour is negligent.
Similarly, the cyber intrusion storyline is heavily reliant on MI5’s systems being vulnerable and linked, which allows them to be taken down. Again, all capable intelligence agencies have very carefully isolated and protected computer systems – the vast majority of which cannot be accessed from outside agency buildings.
These stories do have some echoes in real world incidents, however. One of the most famous honeytrap cases, from 2010, involved the Russian sleeper agent, Anna Chapman.
Chapman was arrested in an operation that broke a Russian sleeper cell in 2010 and later formed part of a spy exchange with Russia. Chapman had networked at parties for high net-worth individuals to produce usable intelligence for the Russian agencies.
This year, China claimed to have foiled honeytrap operations against its officials. These operations were run by westerners seeking to use “their seductive beauty”, claimed Chinese intelligence.
Emerging in the last few days and in the cyber realm, the Chinese Ministry of State Security has accused American intelligence of a highly sophisticated cyber attack on a core piece of national infrastructure.
Consumers and private industry have also experienced similar kinds of cyber attack: first there was the disruption in April to the high-profile British retailer Marks and Spencer whose site was taken off the web. A few months later, Indian owned carmaker Jaguar Land Rover had to close its factories for a month following a cyber attack. Both events underscore the enduring attempts at disrupting large organisations.
The crescendo of the final episode of this series will satisfy fans. The messy morality of some intelligence operations is captured beautifully in the novels and the TV drama. While George Smiley remains the purist’s choice, Jackson Lamb is the Smiley of Britain today.
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Robert Dover does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
