Apple TV's Newest Spy Thriller 'Slow Horses' Was Filmed in These Story-Accurate Locations

The latest Apple TV Plus series, Slow Horses, has been pitched as a "spy-thriller Ted Lasso." The show stars Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Harry Potter) as Jackson Lamb, a cranky ex-MI5 operative. Although Jackson's department is for MI5 rejects, the tables will turn after Slough House gets caught up in a dangerous gambit.

Slow Horses has five more episodes to go, but was the show filmed in England for a show-accurate setting? Here's everything we know about the Slow Horses filming locations.

For the uninitiated, MI5 is the United Kingdom's equivalent of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As such, it's only natural that Slow Horses, which focuses on MI5, would film in England. Filming for Slow Horses first began in November 2020 and ended in June 2021. Currently, the show is filming Season 2.

The majority of Season 1's filming took place around London, England, in locations such as the historic Smithfield Market on Grand Avenue in Westminster, 126 Aldersgate Street (which became Slough House, the show's primary location), and the Berwick Street Market. Much of the production's interior shots were filmed at 3 Mills Studios, a popular soundstage in the area.

Fans also caught Gary Oldman and co-star Kristin Scott Thomas filming near the Regent’s Canal in North London, in Regent's Park (where the show is partially set), and the Cambridge train station. The production team also created a large set in the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London.

Some sequences of the show that take place outside London were filmed in Essex and Stroud, England. Locations fans might recognize in the show include the Harwich Haven Authority port, Café Max, and A & A Taxis, although the local businesses have been given fictionalized names for the show.

The first season of Slow Horses has only six episodes. The first two episodes were released on April 1, 2022, with the rest of the episodes released on the following Fridays. The show's title, as explained by NPR, refers to the washed-up MI5 agents, "mockingly known as the 'slow horses,' who've blown their careers through bungling or bad luck."

One of the running jokes of the show is how these so-called losers continue to stumble into national crises. The show is based on a series of books by author Mick Herron. NPR also reveals that each season will follow a different book in the series; the first season follows the first book, Slow Horses, and the second season will follow the second book, titled Dead Lions. It is unclear if Apple TV plans to adapt all eleven books in the series.

If you want to see how beautifully the Slow Horses production team shapes London into a spy-thriller dream, check out Slow Horses, now streaming on Apple TV Plus.