If a big budget, witty spy thriller led by Hollywood actors is your thing, there is no shortage to choose from right now. The last few weeks alone have seen Eddie Redmayne picking off rightwing politicians in The Day of the Jackal and Ben Whishaw shooting anyone who looks at him a bit funny in Black Doves. While both have been entertaining, neither can quite match the majestically worn charms, and occasional fart jokes, of sleeper hit Slow Horses.
It has taken four seasons for Slow Horses to become one of the most talked-about series on TV. It is odd that such an immediate show has proven to be a slow burn, but the attention is much deserved, because it has been excellent from the beginning. Some might say that it was more excellent at the beginning, but even Slow Horses on cruise control is one of the finest thrillers on television. Gary Oldman gives the performance of his career, and his CV is not exactly flimsy, as the aggressively flatulent Jackson Lamb. Lamb is an old-school spy whose more traditional methods have been sidelined in favour of a new, public-facing, out-of-the-shadows MI5 culture. But over four series, he has transformed into a man capable of near-superhero levels of espionage and combat, if only you give him time to finish his takeaway first.
