Slow Horses season 3 has a major location switch from book

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Slow Horses season 3 will open in Istanbul rather than London in a major difference from Mick Herron's original novel, "Real Tigers", on which the hit Apple TV Plus series is based on.

While the book opens on a "damp, dark, foggy" weekday morning in London, the TV version will instead begin with a dramatic boat chase in Istanbul. There's no mention of Turkey in the opening of the novel and it will be intriguing to see how many other differences there are between the book and the series. We know, thanks to Herron, there's also a character in the TV version that's not in the book.

The Istanbul scenes are referred to in the plot tease revealed by the makers, which says: "A romantic liaison in Istanbul threatens to expose a buried MI5 secret in London. When Jackson Lamb and his team of misfits are dragged into the fight, they find themselves caught in a conspiracy that threatens the future not just of Slough House but of MI5 itself."

Speaking about how the TV show differs from the books, Herron told The Times they also aim to make sure that Gary Oldman gets as much screen time as the slovenly boss of the Slow Horses, Jackson Lamb.

"Sometimes it's the fact that Lamb might not appear for 90 pages and they don’t want to do that when they've got Gary Oldman playing him. We have to make sure that we’re getting proper mileage out of having a world-class actor in that role."

The writer goes on to add that he doesn't mind the fact that the TV series is different from his hugely successful books, while also revealing there's a character in the new series that wasn't in "Real Tigers".

"The actors have taken such possession of the characters, so there's a certain amount of riffing on those characters going on. There's somebody who appears in Tigers who isn't in the book, but he's been there in the previous TV versions, and it was just thought he was too good to waste. It’s not something that upsets me at all. I've said right from the start, this is a TV show. You take it and run with it."

Slow Horses season 3 premiers on Apple TV Plus on Wednesday, November 29

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough.

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

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