Gritty spy thriller Slow Horses, from Apple TV Plus, is set to return for a fifth series later this year, transporting viewers back to Slough House, the fictional London offices of failed MI5 secret service agents.
After series four earned a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the dark comedy based on the Slough House spy novels by British author Mick Herron has become something of a cult series from Apple Originals.
Now one of the broadcaster’s longest-running series, the Emmy-nominated TV show made its debut on 1st April 2022. Filming for the fifth series took place over ten months during 2024, with fans eagerly awaiting news of its broadcast date.
As well as being hugely entertaining, the screenplay by British actor, producer and novelist William Smith has been hailed as providing valuable insights into how the office environment can impact employees’ professional development in business. Comparing the dull chaos of Slough House with the brisk efficiency of the show’s MI5 HQ reveals how the different office spaces in Slow Horses can relate to your own business in 2025.
Office styles
The vastly different office styles of Slough House and MI5’s main operations centre can relate to real world workplace solutions, with the title of the series giving an instant insight into the show’s concept.
Employees based at Slough House are disparagingly nicknamed “slow horses” by other departments of MI5, in a play on the building’s name, as they have all failed a task in spectacular style, but haven’t been fired. Portrayed as a traditional office space, where employees live a life of daily drudgery, once assigned there, they are treated as being slow in thoughts and action and generally past their prime in a chaotic and unkempt atmosphere.
The department for disgraced MI5 agents is run by an untidy, slovenly and disinterested boss, Jackson Lamb, brilliantly portrayed by Gary Oldman. Expected to endure routinely dull tasks and mental abuse from their mean-spirited manager, they resign eventually through boredom and frustration.
In comparison, the in favour, high achieving agents report to the ultra-secure, high-tech MI5 headquarters, The Park, in fashionable Regent’s Park, run by the ultra-efficient and no-nonsense deputy director general Diana Taverner, played by Kristin Scott Thomas.
Coincidentally, the filming locations for Slough House are in The Barbican area, just around the corner from BE Offices’ London serviced office facilities’ prime business location.
Workspace and productivity
The tasks assigned to the favoured MI5 agents are shown to be high stakes fieldwork, with shootouts, chase scenes and hostage situations, contrasting sharply with the mundane office duties endured by the Slough House workforce in their dysfunctional setting.
The series does an excellent job, contrasting IT issues and never ending admin work with the excitement of life as a high-flyer. In fact, it reveals how office design affects morale, collaboration and efficiency.
The “slow horses” are deemed to be employees for whom there’s no hope, as they have made mistakes, but rather than being given another chance and encouraged, they are dumped on the proverbial scrapheap and convinced they are incompetent and of no worth. Everyone knows Slough House is a demotion and a punishment, so no-one is trying and employees simply seem resigned to their fate. They have lost sight of their business objectives and goals and merely plod along with no ambition.
This kind of environment ultimately leads to low morale and reduced productivity, with a study in August 2024 revealing 76% of employees feel a bad workplace culture negatively impacts their own productivity. Prioritising strategies to sustain and boost employee morale and engagement is essential to achieve high productivity levels in any company, according to a report in People Safe.
In contrast, MI5’s The Park is based in a high-tech, imposing office building, made of glass and steel. Complete with the latest technology, it is the main operations hub, where there are various thriving departments including internal security, tactical operations division, archives, lecture halls, laboratories and more.
Serviced offices for entrepreneurs
In the real world, a serviced office in London offers the professionalism of Regent’s Park HQ, with the flexibility needed for start-ups and growth.
Our award-winning shared office space provides an ideal environment to bring people together and thrive, while aspiring to reach a shared goal in business. Offering true flexibility, we look after all your needs to ensure you can focus on running your business. Our highly acclaimed office space for sharing provides an all-inclusive office package, with industry-leading IT connectivity, free calls and instant access to a thriving business community.
Adaptability in business is something companies of all sizes need, as the ability to evolve quickly, according to changing circumstances, is the key to success. Rather than being tied to a long contract in traditional office space, choosing the best serviced office London can offer means enjoying the perfect blend of flexibility, functionality and prestige for your business.
Scalability in business gives you the ability to grow without being limited by the company’s structure or available resources. Every start-up and entrepreneur should have the option to increase output and profits, without having to significantly increase expenditure.
When determining what is scalable in business, consider how you can increase sales volume and employee numbers, acquire new customers, save time and money and expand operations without taking a financial hit that can make growth unviable.
We take our choice of locations very seriously to give clients a fantastic business address with an inspirational environment, reaping the rewards of a serviced office and influencing workplace morale and employee satisfaction, so your team will never feel like the “Slow Horses”.
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