With a curl of his whisky-sodden lips, a ruffle of his grubby overcoat and a slight lift of the hip, the only character in tele-land capable of weaponising flatulence to such glorious effect is back. If you devoured the previous two seasons of Slow Horses, you’ll instantly know I’m talking about Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb. As the dishevelled boss of Slough House, a dumping ground for out-of-favour MI5 agents, Lamb’s ability to strike at the enemy with the odorous after-effects of a cut-price biryani is truly a thing of grim beauty. Sorry, I’m rhapsodising. Yes, the farts are back, but the business at hand in season three is rather more serious doo-doo…
Although, those who enjoyed playing Spot the Grimy London Backstreet in first two seasons might receive an unwelcome jolt in the opening few minutes, as the camera sweeps across an exotic Istanbul skyline to reveal a tragic romance that could blow open a deeply buried, shameful MI5 secret. Nooooo! They’re not ruining everything and taking us into clichéd, globe-scampering spy territory are they? Fear not, as we’re soon firmly back in EC1, where you dear reader could even try out this little suggestion if you’re feeling intrepid: take your laptop and watch the first two episodes somewhere very, very close to Barbican Tube station. It’ll be like some weirdly immersive TV, promise.
