Who was David Cartwright in Slow Horses? Character explored in detail

Slow Horses debuted in 2022, premiered in season 4 in 2024, while season 5 is scheduled to drop on 2025 September 24. The show comes with intense action-packed sequences, espionage, and complex characters played by some brilliant cast members. One of the characters is David Catwright, a retired MI5 legend whose past threatens to unravel secrets the agency would rather keep buried.

He is a pivotal supporting character who has deep ties to the world of espionage and the show's protagonist, Jackson Lamb. A Grandfather to River, he represents the dark past of the MI5, which is still casting its shadows at present.

In Slow Horses, this intelligent, cunning, and morally ambiguous character is portrayed by actor Jonathan Pryce. Here's a detailed exploration of who he is and why he matters in the series:

Who was David Cartwright in Slow Horses? Character explored.

As mentioned, David Cartwright in SlowHorses is a former high-ranking MI5 agent (retired), and represents the old guard of British intelligence—ruthless, secretive, and seasoned. David is sharp and intuitive, and hasn't lost his edge even after retirement.

Like many characters in Slow Horses, David’s decisions reflect the murky ethics of espionage. He’s shown to be willing to manipulate and sacrifice others — even family — for what he believes is the greater good or self-preservation.

River has followed his grandfather's footsteps into MI5; therefore, Cartwright appears as a formative figure in the show initially. But as the season progresses, we get to know that David might have had a hand in orchestrating pr influencing certain events behind the scenes.

In season 2, titled Dead Lions, David possesses some secrets from his past involving Russian sleeper agents and covert operations. MI5 higher-ups eventually begin to suspect that he is compromising or holding crucial information.

David is targeted by his own former agency in Slow Horses

David later in the show realises that the agency has sniffed something fishy about him, and as they close in, he goes into hiding. This comes out as a test for his son, who is an active part of the agency and is also emotionally connected with David. River tries to protect him, ultimately.

Therefore, as mentioned, David represents MI5’s darker history. With knowledge of some unsanctioned operations and politics within, he is aware of the side beneath the polished identity of the department. His presence underscores one of the series’ main themes: how the past constantly threatens to undo the present.

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The character, though, has limited screentime, but emerges as a significant one. Being related to the river adds emotional depth as River looks up to him and also struggles to deal with the moral ambiguity that comes with.

Jackson Lamb, the head of Slough House, knows David well. They share a mutual respect with a tinge of distrust as well, suggesting how even among spies, alliances are fragile. David Cartwright shows us the aftermath of having a life in espionage, which is filled with paranoia, betrayal, and isolation. His story warns that even the most powerful spies eventually become expendable.

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