Apple TV's 'Slow Horses' Filming Locations Revealed

The gritty world of MI5 rejects in Apple TV's hit series "Slow Horses" is brought to life through a variety of filming locations across London. The drama, which follows Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his team of disgraced agents, uses both real and imagined settings to create its distinctive atmosphere.

Slough House, the rundown headquarters of the "slow horses," is depicted as being located on Aldersgate Street in the City of London. Author Mick Herron, who penned the novels on which the series is based, used to pass this area daily on his commute. The actual offices for Slough House are in an upmarket Aldersgate Street building, with the adjacent stairs belonging to 15 St John Street. The Italian restaurant Vecchio Parioli, situated above the Aldersgate office, features in the series, most recently showing Lamb enjoying a meal. Another favored spot for Lamb is Beppe's Cafe on West Smithfield, a family-run establishment since 1932 known for its traditional fry-ups and original decor.

The series also incorporates other real-life London spots. The Towpath Cafe on Regent's Canal in Haggerston is a known haunt for characters J.K. Coe and Shirley Dander. However, not all establishments are as they appear; the New Empire Cafe on Aldersgate Street, seen in the show, is actually the Gate Grill Cafe, with a different sign added for filming purposes.

In contrast to the dingy Slough House, "The Park" represents the polished headquarters for mainstream MI5 operations. While depicted as a prominent building, "The Park" is a fictional creation. Its impressive aerial views are achieved through CGI, placing the fictional structure in Regent's Park. Scenes intended to be set at a fictional "Regent's Park Zoo" are said to be inspired by London Zoo, with one explosion scene filmed in Kew Gardens. Actual filming for "The Park" took place around the Old Royal Naval College and the campus of Greenwich University, with the Dreadnought Building of the university's student union featured, augmented by CGI for a modern appearance.

Regent's Park itself serves as a backdrop for significant character interactions, with scenes shot near the boating lake, the North Gate entrance, and along the canal. An underpass where Lamb debriefs his team, notionally set in a zoo, was filmed at Charlie Chaplin Walk on the South Bank.

Another recurring location is the dissenters' cemetery at Bunhill Fields in Old Street, the burial site of poet and painter William Blake. This atmospheric location was used for a tense meeting in the recent series where Lamb instructs his team to head to a safe house amid a series of murders targeting them. Some locations, however, remain undisclosed, adding to the show's mystique.