Slow Horses season six has arrived on Apple TV, and it was a stellar first episode for Saskia Reeves whose character, Catherine Standish, finally discovered the devastating secret Jackson Lamb has been keeping for decades.
Viewers learned in season one that, as a young spy for M15 Jackson figured out that former director-general Charles Partner was selling secrets to the Russians. Jackson and future First Desk David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce) decided to murder Charles and make it look like a suicide, rather than turn him in to the government and embarrass their friend.
Jackson was the one to pull the trigger – and it was Catherine, who had been Charles’ personal assistant for years, who found him dead in the bathtub.
After years of Catherine being unaware of the betrayal by Charles, her friend and boss, and also that of Jackson and David, season six episode one saw Catherine finally hear the truth – and it is going to take her on a “dangerous” journey, Saskia tells HELLO!
“It throws Cathrine completely and she is now actually on a very dangerous journey,” the actress said at the BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles on September, 13 2026.
“We will have to see if she can hold herself together – I really hope she can hold herself together.”
Jackson’s actions have been held over his head for six seasons by MI5’s Second Desk Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas), who was the one who let the news slip – not knowing Catherine was in earshot.
Jackson himself has used his knowledge of Diana’s past actions as his own bargaining chips.
Season six of the Emmy-winning series has promised a return to the show’s early drama, and will see Jackson and his team targeted by assassins hunting down current and former members of Slough House, the London building where M15 sends dishonored or shamed agents.
“I think [Slow Horses] is a very British way of serving up an action-packed spy drama,” Saskia says when asked why audiences have fallen in love with the often unlikable characters of Slough House.
“There’s this messiness and chaos, not only in their surroundings but in these people, but I think it warms audiences to them.”
The show was a sleeper hit for the streamer, despite its star power; Sir Gary Oldman leads the series as the head of Slough House, who hides his tactical brilliance and deep loyalty to his agents with an unkempt appearance and profoundly rude behavior and language.
“I grew up watching Gary and I’ve always been a massive fan of his,” says Saskia of working with the Oscar-winning actor.
“I remember him being really unique and doing things a bit differently and so to be able to work with him… he is quite a collaborator – we all know exactly what we’re doing, but Gary always leads the way in us being able to feel like we are improvising even though we know exactly what we are doing, and that’s fed into every single series.”
