Slow Horses (2023)

Sean Donovan and Alison Dunn are lovers and British intelligence operatives stationed in Istanbul. One night Donovan follows Dunn, suspecting she has stolen a classified file from the British embassy. She loses him during a chase through the city before exchanging the file (labelled ‘Footprint’) with an unknown man. Donovan soon finds and grieves over Dunn’s murdered body. At Slough House, a year later, the team are engaged in their usual tedious tasks. Attending her post-work AA meeting, Catherine Standish is befriended by Donovan (calling himself “John” and pretending to be part of the AA group) and they go to a cafe; feeling uneasy after Donovan mentions Jackson Lamb, Standish tries to sneak out but is kidnapped by a team led by Donovan. The next day, the slow horses investigate Standish’s unusual absence. Shirley Dander and Marcus Longridge go to Standish’s flat and realize she hasn’t been home. Louisa Guy tracks Standish’s movements to the cafe, notices that security camera cables had been cut, and finds something of Standish’s in a nearby underpass. At Slough House, River Cartwright is texted a photo of Standish with a gun to her head and the message “Barbican bridge, one minute or she dies.”
Director: Saul Metzstein
Producer(s): Iain Canning, Hakan Kousetta, Jamie Laurenson, Jane Robertson
Writer(s): Will Smith
Release Dates: 29 November 2023 (UK) – other countries

River is given a brutal and vindictive beating by Duffy in revenge for having made the Dogs look incompetent. Lamb discovers that Standish’s kidnappers are private security firm Chieftain, a “tiger team” hired by Home Secretary Peter Judd to demonstrate weaknesses in MI5’s security. Judd uses the operation’s apparent success to strongarm Tearney into privatising MI5’s security, giving business to Chieftain, who are run by an old school friend of Judd’s, Sly Monteith. Monteith loses control of the situation, however, when Donovan goes rogue, kidnapping Chieftain operative Sturges and taking Standish and Sturges to a new safe house. Dander and Longridge break into Donovan’s house unauthorised and learn about “stage two” of his plan, which is to get hold of MI5’s Grey Books, a record of conspiracy theories. The two report this finding to Lamb, who secures River’s release from MI5 and sends him with Guy to Chieftain’s headquarters, where they discover that Webb had been working with Chieftain the entire time. Monteith sends Webb to pay off Donovan and secure the release of Standish, but an altercation leads to Donovan accidentally killing Webb. Lamb interrupts Judd and Monteith’s dinner at a posh restaurant to try to secure Standish’s release. Donovan dumps Webb’s body outside the restaurant.
Director: Saul Metzstein
Producer(s): Jane Robertson, Will Smith
Writer(s): Will Smith
Release Dates: 6 December 2023 (UK) – other countries

Tearney reasserts control over MI5. She plans to allow Donovan access to the Grey Books in return for Standish’s release and then have him arrested by Duffy. Meanwhile, Sturges escapes from the safehouse, where Donovan reveals that he is working with Alison Dunn’s siblings, Ben and Sarah, seeking justice for her death. Standish sympathises and tells them where they can find the file they are seeking. Meanwhile, Dander and Longridge are fired by Lamb, and River comforts his grandfather, who is suffering from memory lapses. Ho locates the safehouse and sets off with Lamb to rescue Standish. River and Guy escort Donovan and Ben into the file-storage facility, where Ben reveals that the Grey Books were a ruse and that he is seeking a different file. After a conversation with Doran, Tearney deduces that someone in the Park has hidden a particular file inside the facility for Donovan to find. Duffy takes charge of a team of Chieftain mercenaries and is ordered by Tearney to kill everyone inside the facility to ensure the file isn’t leaked.
Director: Saul Metzstein
Producer(s): Will Smith, Jane Robertson
Writer(s): Mark Denton, Jonny Stockwood
Release Dates: 13 December 2023 (UK) – other countries

Tearney confronts Taverner, who is revealed to have been Donovan’s source, and had left the “Footprint” file in the facility for Donovan to leak, as it contains evidence of wrongdoing that will lead to Tearney’s downfall. Chieftain operatives prepare to enter the facility and set up a trap outside of it. River warns Lamb and then calls Slough House, asking for the help of Dander and Longridge just before Chieftain cuts off the phone lines. Dander and Longridge arm themselves and drive to the facility, hoping that by helping River and Guy they may be given their jobs back by Lamb. Chieftain agents storm the building and capture Douglas, the facility’s sole security employee, who is ruthlessly executed by Duffy shortly afterwards. Lamb reaches Standish at the Dunn house and rescues her from Sarah, but Sturges and Hobbs arrive with orders to kill everyone at the house. River, Guy, Ben, and Donovan resist the assault and find the “Footprint” file, but Ben is killed.
Director: Saul Metzstein
Producer(s): Jane Robertson, Will Smith
Writer(s): Mark Denton, Jonny Stockwood
Release Dates: 20 December 2023 (UK) – other countries

Hobbs and Sturges storm the Dunn house, however are outmanoeuvred by Lamb, who rigs the house with booby traps. Sarah strangles Sturges to death after a brief struggle, while Lamb kills Hobbs. Ho attempts an heroic rescue, crashing a bus through the side of the house, too late to be of any help. Donovan sacrifices himself to allow River and Guy to escape the file storage facility with the “Footprint” file and they are rescued from Duffy’s planned ambush by Dander. Longridge defeats Duffy in a fistfight and Guy finishes Duffy off with a rock to the head. Lamb tells Standish that her hero, Charles Partner, was a traitor who was using her, leading a devastated Standish to resign from Slough House. River takes “Footprint” to his grandfather, who destroys it, worrying about the reputational damage it will cause to MI5. Anticipating this, River already made a copy, which he leaks. In the aftermath, Tearney and Judd are forced to resign, with Taverner assuming Tearney’s place as First Desk.
Director: Saul Metzstein
Producer(s): Jane Robertson, Will Smith
Writer(s): Will Smith
Release Dates: 27 December 2023 (UK) – other countries