The Various Slow Horses Props The Showrunner 'Stole' From The Set [Exclusive]

Taking a glance around the offices of Slough House in the Apple TV+ spy series "Slow Horses," it's hard to consider it a treasure trove filled with props you'd want to take home. Between stacks of poorly kept documents, half-eaten chips, and tea mugs that haven't seen a dish sponge in a few days, finding a memento would be hard. But showrunner Will Smith, who has been with the series since the beginning but is leaving after the fifth season, was gifted a perfect batch of trinkets from the set as part of his exit.

In an exclusive interview with /Film, Smith discussed his heartfelt goodbye after serving as the "Slow Horses" showrunner for five seasons and the emotional send-off he received upon leaving Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his Joes behind. "There were two really, really lovely moments where the props guys, Nick Atkinson and Harry Larkin, they gave me a box of certain props from the show, which was completely out of nowhere," Smith recalled of his last days on the set. The gift-giving didn't stop there, either. "And then production, they gave me a book, I've got it down there [gestures behind him] and there's a picture of — everybody from the crew and everybody from the cast all had a page, all the departments, and they all wrote the most unbelievable messages," explained Smith. "I really didn't expect that." For a show that handles character exits so bluntly, it's great hearing it's a different matter behind the scenes. "I didn't know people felt the way that they seem to say they did with the things that they wrote. And that's something I will treasure forever, because I'm absolutely blown away by that."

Now, let's get into the specifics of the props Smith received.

Of course, while there's no doubt that it's the thought that counts, we couldn't help but ask the showrunner of one of the best shows on Apple TV+ what specific top-secret items from "Slow Horses" he'd left with — ones perhaps even The Park was unaware of. The man responsible for adapting Mick Herron's book series spilled the beans, but with some joking hesitation. "I've got ... I don't know if I should have this. My god, I'm probably going to get a call from Apple. I've got identity cards of the Slow Horses. I got Jonathan Pryce's fake passport, some fake money, the tin that River's [Jack Lowden] grandfather buried his flight fund in. Am I confessing to theft here?"

There's one additional item which carries significant emotional weight that Smith was fortunate to walk away with, linking back to one of the heartbreaking highlights of the show during its second season. Following the death of Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns), the team commemorated their fallen comrade with something that will stay with Smith from now on. "And then, I got Min's plaque from the church as well," he revealed. Given that it was been hidden behind a church pew the last time we saw it, we doubt anyone will miss it. No offense, Min.

"Slow Horses" season 5, episode 1 is now streaming on Apple TV+.