Making of ‘Slow Horses’: Roundtable panel with director and crafts
“Relief” was the first word that came to mind when BAFTA-nominated director James Hawes realized the Apple TV+ series “Slow Horses” had become a success. “It felt like an enormous responsibility to take on these much loved books,” he admits. “And also to find a place in the spy genre where we could give it a different flavor, a different smell. That’s something that the team you have here and I talked about a lot. How do we clue in to everything there is in the British spy genre, where it’s at, and give it just that little twist.”
To celebrate the acclaimed series, watch our special “Making of” roundtable discussion with Hawes and four key players from “Slow Horses” — Oscar-nominated cinematographer Danny Cohen, BAFTA-nominated production designer Tom Burton, Emmy-winning supervising sound editor Joe Beal and Emmy-nominated music supervisor Catherine Grieves. Together they are joined by Gold Derby senior editor Denton Davidson for a fun, memorable Q&A. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Slow Horses” is a quick-witted spy thriller that follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb (played by Gary Oldman). The spies must navigate the espionage world’s smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces. It is based on Mick Herron‘s 2010 novel of the same name. The series also stars Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas and Olivia Cooke.
SEE Jack Lowden shows how he made Gary Oldman ‘piss himself laughing’ on set of ‘Slow Horses’
The Apple TV+ genre-bending, funny and tension-filled series was met with critical acclaim upon its release. It holds a remarkable 95% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 55 critics, with the website’s consensus reading, “Slow Horses refreshes the espionage genre by letting its band of snoops be bumbling, with Gary Oldman giving a masterclass in frumpy authority.” Metacritic indicates “universal acclaim” with Shane Ryan (Paste Magazine) writing, “‘Slow Horses’ manages the incredible task of being a human redemption story, a genuinely funny comedy, and above all, a terrific spy saga.”
The second season of “Slow Horses” will premiere later in 2022. In June, the series was renewed for third and fourth seasons.
