Fans couldn’t stop raving about Slow Horses season three (Picture: Apple TV+)

*Warning: Spoilers for Slow Horses season 3 below*

TV fans have branded Slow Horses the best show of 2023 after a stunning season three finale.

The Apple TV+ series follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents serving in the ‘Slough House’ department at MI5.

Harry Potter icon Gary Oldman led the star-studded cast as Jackson Lamb, alongside Jack Bowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rosalind Eleazar and Saskia Reeves.

Season three kept us all on tenterhooks and ended with Louisa (Rosalind Eleazar) and River (Jack Lowden) escaping a facility they had been locked in, armed with documents revealing the truth behind Ingrid Tearney’s (Sophie Okonedo) disgraceful leadership of MI5 and what happened in Istanbul.

Although they were able to leave mostly unscathed, it wasn’t the same story for Sean Donovan (Some Dirisu), who was killed by agents in tense scenes.

River promptly took the files to his granddad, David – who threw them into a fire in a bid to persevere the reputations of those in charge.

Thankfully, he managed to make copies beforehand and swiftly leaked them, leading to Ingrid’s downfall, and Diana stepping in to take her place.

Catherine (Saskia Reeves) also walked out of her position after being told of former boss Charles Partner’s traitorous ways – but is still in the dark over Jackson Lamb’s decision to kill Partner in season one, before making it look like suicide.

Basically, a lot went down.

Gary Oldman stole the show in the program (Picture: Apple TV+)

Fans were totally gripped by the episode, and flocked to Twitter to commend those involved, branding the series the best of 2023.

‘Apple TV’s Slow Horses is excellent, by far my favourite series of 2023, and Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb tops the character leaderboard,’ one penned.

‘I only started watching #SlowHorses because of Gary Oldman,’ another agreed. ‘I didn’t have expectations. 

‘Little did I know that it would become one of my most favourite shows of all time. @AppleTV thank you for this. A smart, funny, sarcastic, fast paced thriller..easily the best of 2023.’

The actor was branded a ‘tour de force’ by viewers (Picture: Getty)

‘Honestly, not enough people are watching Slow Horses on Apple TV. Gary Oldman is a tour de force as per usual,’ a viewer said.

A Twitter user wrote: ‘Well I know I’ve been waxing rhapsodic about Slow Horses on Apple, but I swear to Zeus, it is the best thing Gary Oldman has ever done…’

A follower raved: ‘Season 3 of #SlowHorses is the best one yet! Just impeccably paced and a thrilling story bolstered by an incredible cast led by the always excellent Gary Oldman!

‘This show could just be Jackson Lamb’s one line zingers and still be one of the best shows on TV!!’

‘#SlowHorses is easily one of the best shows out there,’ a commenter added. ‘The cast is outstanding but #GaryOldman is pure grubby perfection as #JacksonLamb @AppleTV.’

While season three may have only just ended, showrunner Will Smith spilled the beans on what we can expect in the fourth series – and things will be as tense as ever for the Slough House gang.

‘Where it ends in season three, where Taverner thinks she’s got what she wants, let’s just say there’s a recalibration of that at the start of the next series,’ he told Digital Spy.

‘There’s repercussions [from River’s leak], but they’re more left field than directly to do with what he leaks.

‘The main thing is the fracture that occurs when River is going against his grandfather for the first time, and that’s a big thing for him, and seeing his grandfather in a new light and he is starting to make his own judgements and not just toe the line. 

‘The next series is sad with what happens between River and David.’

Bring it on.

Slow Horses is available to stream on Apple TV+ now.

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