After making his Doctor Who debut in Ncuti Gatwa’s debut season, one star has made the leap to Apple TV+ and joined the Gary Oldman-led spy thriller Slow Horses season 6. Based on Mick Herron’s series of novels, the show follows the exploits of a group of disgraced MI5 operatives forced into administrative purgatory, setting out to solve cases that could threaten the UK. Slow Horses season 4 aired in September 2024, but the fifth and sixth seasons were confirmed in January and October, respectively.
Ahead of the return of Hulu and BBC’s Am I Being Unreasonable?, series star and co-creator Selin Hizli revealed that one of her co-stars had recently joined the cast of Slow Horses. She confirmed that Lenny Rush, who plays Ollie in the series and portrayed UNIT scientific advisor Morris Gibbons in Doctor Who season 14, had begun filming the sixth season when speaking with co-creator Daisy May Cooper for a Q&A for her returning series (via RadioTimes.com):
Hizli: “I think he’s acting with Gary Oldman now.”
Cooper: “Oh my god! Why am I not acting with Gary Oldman? Is he actually?”
Hizli: “Yeah, he’s in Slow Horses.”
What Rush’s Casting Means For Slow Horses Season 6?
The Season Will Adapt Two Of The Series’ Novels
With Slow Horses‘ fifth season having yet to air, it is uncertain how the events of the coming episodes will impact who will return for season 6. Alongside the series’ renewal, Kristen Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Samuel West, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Ruth Bradley, Tom Brooke, Joana Scanlan, and Jonathan Pryce were named among the cast line-up. Furthermore, while Rush and Oldman have been seen on set, one of the few confirmed stars set to return is Hugo Weaving, who made his debut in season 4 as antagonist Frank Harkness.
Related
Slow Horses Season 4 Cast & Character Guide
Slow Horses season 4 returns to adapt Mick Herron’s Spook Street, a novel that puts River Cartwright and a few new characters at its deadly center.
Though season 6 will adapt the novels Joe Country and Slough House, it is unclear who Rush will be playing. With Joe Country taking place in the Welsh countryside, the star is likely involved in the season’s Slough House adaptation given the Camdem location shoot and his interactions with Oldman, which could narrow his potential character down to him playing Reese Nesmith III.
Our Thoughts On Rush’s Slow Horses Casting
The Actor Could Help Address A Slough House Critique
Within his career so far, Rush has been celebrated for his comedic talents, earning him various breakthrough awards between 2022 and 2023. This is undoubtedly an element that factored into his Doctor Who role, where Morris was confident in his intelligence and quick-witted as he faced the terrors of the universe.
Should Rush be portraying Nesmithh III in Slow Horses season 6, the show may have an opportunity to address criticisms of the season’s source material, as the character has been critiqued for being the butt of Lamb’s ill-informed and insensitive remarks. With his acclaimed comedic talents, Rush’s Nesmith could potentially be a figure who can trade barbs with Slough House’s most infamous agent.
Source: RadioTimes.com