Gary Oldman, who stars as grumpy yet gifted spy boss Jackson Lamb in Apple TV+ hit “Slow Horses,” has been recruited by the real MI5 – to narrate a Christmas poem.
In collaboration with the streaming platform, the British counter-intelligence agency have published a festive video on their Instagram page featuring Oscar-winner Oldman narrating a contemporary twist on the poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Titled “A Christmas Story from MI5,” the video shows various agents at their computers at the spy agency’s London headquarters Thames House (not Regent’s Park, as depicted in the TV series) while Oldman narrates in the voice of his “Slow Horses” character Jackson Lamb.
“’Twas the night before Christmas when all through Thames House not a creature was stirring, just the click of a mouse,” he intones. “Then footsteps on stairwells, then flickering screens, the clackety keyboards of a hundred machines. The hustle, the bustle, the hive of activity, not the typical scene of your Christmas nativity.”
“So while people at home wrap last-minute gifts, the staff inside Thames will be changing their shifts. From us all at 5, we wish you festive delight. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”
Accompanying the video is a post from MI5 stating: “At MI5 this Christmas we’ve decided to forgo the traditional turkey in favour of some lamb – Jackson Lamb. We thought it high time he swapped Slough House for Thames House and while he was briefly away from his Slow Horses, we asked him to record a special Christmas message from all of us to all of you. Our staff will be working throughout this festive period to keep the U.K. safe from national security threats. From everyone at MI5, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.”
“Slow Horses” has been a breakout hit for Apple TV+, garnering BAFTA and Emmy nominations, including a recent win for showrunner Will Smith. The show, which is based on Mick Herron’s novels of the same name, is centered around a dishevelled Lamb leading a ragtag band of failed spies nicknamed the Slow Horses who’ve been banished from MI5 headquarters. Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden and Christopher Chung also star.
