Anyone else watching Slow Horses?

[BIWI]

Here

Absolutely brilliant. DH and I both loved all the books, and the first series is a very faithful adaption of the first book.

Agree @tuliplover - you can tell that whoever wrote the scripts (and I know there is more than one writer), that they have really read and loved the books, as all that detail has been very carefully built in.

I really liked that it was so faithful to the book (as with the Reacher series on Amazon which is very close to the first Reacher book) - so fed up with tv writers mucking about with books. There's a reason it sold millions of copies, stop thinking you can improve the plot!

Agree with @SoggyPaper - it was notable that Lamb's more offensive jokes (racism, sexism, disablism etc) have disappeared. My guess is they couldn't face the inevitable backlash.

I saw a piece today, an interview with Mick Herron, which said that series 3 and 4 are also being filmed later this year. So much more to look forward to!

Great news, thanks @BIWI .

Ooh just up my street, tyvm BIWI.

You're welcome!

Great news about the second series! We’re close to finishing S1 and I don’t want it to end. It’s the best thing we’ve watched in a while.

…And S3 and 4! Even better!

The writer is Morwenna Banks!

She’s one of the writers. She hasn’t written all the episodes

No Slow Horses. No Picard. No Julia. No more Derry Girls or The Circle until next week. Still no Archers tonight.

Hmmph! What exactly is the point of Friday?

Gin?

16:8 … And no alcohol this weekend anyway because Zoom meetings and deadlines.

😭😭😭

Really might as well skip straight to Tuesday.

Thank you for this post. New to Apple TV, and somehow had never heard of these books. I’ve now lost two evenings to this series. Time very well spent. Loved it.

Now to buy the books.

I bought the book first, and while it isn’t written in a style I can get along with, the plot was so intriguing I’ve signed up to Apple TV. Watched 3 episodes so far and it is fantastic! Plus, I can actually hear the dialogue, which makes a pleasant change from most BBC / ITV dramas.
I thought some of the exterior shots must have been filmed in Manchester but a quick search shows there are still bits of London and surrounding areas that look seedy enough
Agree that Gary Oldman makes a more cuddly Jackson Lamb than the book version, slurping noodles and farting notwithstanding.

Thought it was great especially Gary Oldman. I loved all the characters who worked in Slough House! Great cast and well written. Looking forward to series 2!

@Downtherefordancing I know about Gary Oldman, I was talking about Ho’s accent.

I’ve started on the second book and I love it now I’ve got even clearer pictures of the characters.

Only watched the first two, but I think I like it. I agree about Ho's Dick van Dyke-style accent though.
Overall I love the cast: Saskia Reeves, what a treat. And Sam West! I take it we see a lot more of him as the series progresses?
Wan't familiar with Jack Lowden but he's good. I'm enjoying the sparring and slightly homoerotic relationship between him and Freddie Fox's character.

Finished the series last night. Fantastic!

DH has read all of the books and he loved this adaptation.

Best thing I have seen in ages. Seems a pity it is on Apple TV. Something this good should have been prime time BBC

I agree @5foot5 - however, you can really tell that apple have invested a lot of money in their production. I'm guessing that they probably put up more money to buy the rights (or whatever they're called) to make the series.

Looking forward to series 2 being shown as well!

Finished it now and very much enjoyed it. Would only say that River's and Ho's accents both grated.The guy who plays River sounds like he's trying to suppress a Scottish accent and Ho is just atrocious. Didn't really rate Ho's acting either, certainly not in comparison to the rest.

One of the writers (and producers I think) is Will Smith, who also wrote for and was in The Thick of It.

Totters, when you say 'the one who was shot and spirited away' do you mean Syd? I did get the impression something happened about her that I didn't quite grasp.

I think the character of Ho is deliberately awkward - he's trying to hard to be someone he really isn't!

Including having a hokey accent/acting weirdly/badly? I ask genuinely; I don't know the books, so only know the characters from this adaptation.

See, my read of Ho in the books isn't that he's trying to be someone else, he actually believes he's entirely different to what everyone else sees him to be. My image of him is more like the Simpsons comic book guy or the stereotype of a hacker living in his mom's basement with delusions that his social abilities and standing are on par with his technical skills. I think the internal monologues in the book bring that to life in a way that just can't be portrayed on screen.

Yes, that's a better explanation @Gubu

@DameHelena Ho is really a skinny, introverted nerdy type - but in his head he is a superhero, irresistible to all women. Single-handedly he's going to save the world, etc.