Slow Horses is back for its sixth season on Apple TV, and the Slough House team is facing its most personal threat yet. Gary Oldman returns as the sharp-tongued Jackson Lamb, leading his band of disgraced MI5 agents as they are hunted by a pair of assassins targeting anyone connected to Slough House. The new season premieres globally on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and brings back familiar faces alongside several new players. Here is everything you need to know about the full cast, release schedule, and what has changed behind the scenes.
Every Returning Star in the Slow Horses Season 6 Cast
The entire core Slough House team is back for Season 6. Gary Oldman leads the cast as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but deeply unkempt head of the department, who disguises his fierce loyalty to his agents behind constant insults and questionable personal hygiene. Oldman has earned Golden Globe, Emmy, and BAFTA nominations for this role across previous seasons.
Jack Lowden returns as River Cartwright, the most capable of the Slow Horses, whose season will include a major reunion. Kristin Scott Thomas is back as Diana Taverner, who is now First Desk at MI5 after outmaneuvering Claude Whelan in Season 5. This season, she embroils the Slow Horses in a deadly game of retaliation and revenge that puts them all on the run.
Saskia Reeves returns as Catherine Standish, the steadying presence at Slough House. Christopher Chung is back as Roddy Ho, the insufferable but skilled hacker whose phone habits continue to annoy Lamb. Rosalind Eleazar returns as Louisa Guy, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards returns as Shirley Dander. Jonathan Pryce returns as David Cartwright, River’s grandfather, while Hugo Weaving is back as Frank Harkness. Samuel West, Ruth Bradley, and Tom Brooke also return to the ensemble.
Olivia Cooke Returns as Sid Baker After Four Seasons Away
The biggest returning cast surprise is Olivia Cooke as Sidonie “Sid” Baker. Cooke’s character was believed dead after being shot in Season 1, but the Season 6 trailer confirms she survived. Roddy Ho had previously uncovered evidence suggesting she might be alive, and the new footage finally pays that off.
The moment arrives near the end of the trailer when Sid appears at the top of a staircase and simply says, “Hello River,” leaving Jack Lowden‘s River Cartwright frozen in place. As Jackson Lamb puts it in the trailer, “Oh come on we’re spies, we’ve all faked our own death at one time or another.”
Cooke, best known recently for House of the Dragon, last appeared in Slow Horses in 2022. Her return brings one of the show’s earliest mysteries back into focus.
New Cast Members Joining Slow Horses Season 6
Season 6 introduces several new actors to the Slough House world. Kyle Soller and MyAnna Buring play Jim and Jane, a pair of assassins hunting down anyone who has ever worked at Slough House. Soller is known for playing Syril Karn in Andor, while Buring played Tissaia de Vries in The Witcher. The two are positioned as the primary antagonists of the season.
Lenny Rush, a BAFTA TV Award winner known for Am I Being Unreasonable? and Doctor Who, joins as Reece Nesmith, described as a child witness. His role was kept under wraps until the season’s release, though the first image of him placed him alongside Christopher Chung‘s Roddy Ho. Critics have already singled out Rush’s performance, with one review calling Reece Nesmith an “excellent new character.”
Harry Lloyd joins as Damien Cantor, a media mogul and news channel owner. Lucian Msamati appears as Oliver Nash. Paul Higgins also returns as Struan Loy, a former member of Slough House who appeared in Season 1.
Slow Horses Season 6 Release Schedule and Episode Dates
Season 6 consists of six episodes, releasing weekly on Wednesdays through October 21, 2026. The full schedule for global audiences across the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and India is:
- Episode 1 — September 16, 2026
- Episode 2 — September 23, 2026
- Episode 3 — September 30, 2026
- Episode 4 — October 7, 2026
- Episode 5 — October 14, 2026
- Episode 6 (finale) — October 21, 2026
All episodes stream on Apple TV, and the complete first five seasons are already available on the platform.
New Showrunner Takes Over for Season 6
Season 6 marks a major change behind the scenes. Gaby Chiappe takes over as head writer and showrunner from Will Smith, who led the series from Season 1 through Season 5. Smith stepped down after the fifth season, explaining that it “concludes certain story arcs that started in Season 1, so it felt like a good moment to hand over the show.” Ben Vanstone will take over for Season 7.
Season 6 adapts two of Mick Herron‘s novels at once: Joe Country and Slough House, the sixth and seventh books in the series. This is the first time the show has merged two books into one season. Adam Randall returns to direct.
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Early Reviews Call Season 6 the Best Yet
Critics who have seen the new season are widely positive. Slow Horses Season 6 currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on early reviews.
“Series six might just be the best yet, even if the mood is decidedly gloomy in Slough House.” — Ben Dowell, The Times
“There’s no 6-episode anything on television this year that hums like the sixth season of Slow Horses, an outing that’s entertaining, suspenseful, and honestly moving.” — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
“It consistently cements itself as one of television’s most compelling, high-quality shows.” — Nicole Gallucci, Decider
Tom’s Guide awarded the season a 4.5 out of 5 rating and named it one of the 10 best shows of 2026 so far.
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