Slow Horses star reveals the storyline she was "gutted" not to do in season 6

The sixth season of Slow Horses has changed tack from previous runs of the series, in that it has adapted two of Mick Herron's novels, rather than one.

Season 6 has adapted both books six and seven, Joe Country and Slough House, and as the plots have been merged together, this means that certain storylines were heavily changed or left out entirely.

One of those omitted from the adaptation saw a surprising team up between Rosalind Eleazar's Louisa Guy and Ruth Bradley's Emma Flyte. It is a story which the latter has said she was "gutted" not to adapt.

Speaking exclusively with Radio Times, Bradley said: "I was interested to see how it would work out. I was gutted not to hang out with Ros [Eleazar], because she's amazing, and in the original Joe Country, they go off on their own story.

"I would have loved to have done that because she's so brilliant and she's so fun, and she's just such a phenomenal actress. And then I was kind of curious as to how they were going to mix these two things, and I had visions of being in the snow somewhere, and then it was like, 'Oh, it's an amazing beach and stuff.'"

Louisa's story in the show has already been changed substantially, as the character left Slough House at the start of season 5, and was missing for that whole narrative. She has since returned in season 6, but very much against her will.

Bradley isn't the only member of the Slow Horses cast who is sad not to have visited snowy Wales, as happened in Joe Country.

Roddy Ho star Christopher Chung also told Radio Times: "I think the thing that we were all anticipating was going to Wales in the snow, and there was a moment where it was floated that we might go to a Scandinavian country to film in a snow covered field somewhere.

"We were all kind of psyched to go on a Slow Horses field trip that didn't happen."

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Meanwhile, this season's director, Adam Randall, previously explained why the decision was made to combine the two books' plots.

He said: "Joe Country would make the most amazing film, but it was felt that there was not a huge amount of story for a number of our characters.

"Taverner’s not in it a great deal, Lamb hasn't got a huge amount to do, so it was sort of the decision to combine them and find a way for them to work together. But then we had the opportunity to draw on both of them throughout the process, which was really fortunate."

Slow Horses is available to stream on Apple TV. Season 6 is being released weekly, with new episodes arriving on Wednesdays. Start your seven-day Apple TV free trial.

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Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.