MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum has described himself as a Slow Horses man, revealing his appreciation for the hit thriller series on Apple TV. The show features Oscar-winning actor Sir Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the crude and foul-mouthed boss of a team of rejected and dysfunctional MI5 agents stationed at Slough House.
In a video posted to the official MI5 Instagram account on Wednesday, the intelligence officer answered questions at the National Archives and shared his enjoyment of the popular programme. When asked about his views on MI5 and MI6, the UK's two primary intelligence and security agencies, Sir Ken emphasized collaboration over rivalry.
He stated: I suppose maybe the person who wrote the question wanted to hear that there is some rivalry or whatever – the truth is they are our friends, they are our colleagues. MI5, MI6, Government Communications Headquarters, the police and others have to work together and want to work together in a really big team, each doing our particular thing, the thing that we are specialists at – to keep the country safe together.
Sir Ken then referenced two famous British depictions of espionage, joking: You might want to say there is room for both James Bond and Slow Horses. Revealing his personal preference, he added: I happen myself to be a Slow Horses man.
The spy drama, based on the best-selling novel Slow Horses by Mick Herron, premiered in 2022. Alongside Sir Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the cast includes Jack Lowden as agent River Cartwright, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner, and Sir Jonathan Pryce as retired senior intelligence official David Cartwright.
The show won a Bafta in 2024 for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series, while Sir Gary has received Golden Globe, Emmy, and Bafta nominations for his portrayal of intelligence officer Lamb. The upcoming sixth series is set to air in September this year, with a seventh season already greenlit, produced by Ben Vanstone and directed by Robert McKillop, best known for Ludwig.
