Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman is currently portraying the cantankerous spy boss Jackson Lamb on Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses.” It seems his performance on the show is realistic enough for MI5 to hire him… to narrate “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Albeit a slightly updated version.
Oldman Takes on Christmas
The British counter-intelligence agency has partnered with Apple TV+ and the actor to breathe new life into this Christmas classic. Re-titling the project “A Christmas Story from MI5,” the video accompanying his narration takes place in Thames House (not Regent’s Park, like the show).
“’Twas the night before Christmas when all through Thames House not a creature was stirring, just the click of a mouse,” Oldman reads as Jackson Lamb. “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,” it concludes.
“At MI5 this Christmas we’ve decided to forgo the traditional turkey in favour of some lamb – Jackson Lamb,” MI5’s post accompanying the video reads. “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.”
You can check out Oldman’s new twist on an old classic below. At this time, there is no set release date for “Slow Horses” season five. But you can catch the other four seasons streaming exclusively on Apple TV+
