Min Harper's embarrassing backstory in Slow Horses is based on a real-world security breach.
Slow Horses agents each have their own reason for being demoted to Slough House, and one character's backstory occurred in real life. In the show, MI5 spies who are no longer up to par end up at Jackson Lamb's (Gary Oldman) dumping ground, and it is frequently a single misstep that leads to their expulsion from Britain's top spy organization. While Slow Horses is not a perfect depiction of MI5, it does add a realistic element to the espionage genre by skillfully portraying the unexpected journeys of these outcast agents.
Not all of Slow Horses' Slough House agents tell the embarrassing story that led to their dismissal, but some do. Others, such as River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns), make public mistakes they can't undo. These flaws make the characters much more relatable than those in most other spy thrillers. However, what distinguishes Apple Tv+'s adaptation of Mick Herron's Slough House novel series is that some of the backstories are based on true events.
Min Harper's Slow Horses backstory happened in real life.
In Slow Horses season 1, episode 2, "Work Drinks," Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar) and Min Harper share a drink after a difficult day at work. The casual moment reveals Harper's Slough House demotion was due to a shameful and widely publicized incident in which he left top-secret documents on a train. The Slow Horses spy elaborates, revealing that he was unaware of what he had done until he learned in the media that a private citizen had discovered the sensitive materials. His wife, Clare, provided no support, which Harper claims led to their divorce.
Herron's stories are rarely based on actual events. However, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he admitted to doing so on occasion. Herron revealed that the seventh installment of his award-winning novel series was inspired by the 2018 nerve agent poisoning of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, England. Although the author has not confirmed the connection, it appears that Min Harper's backstory in the Apple Tv+ adaptation of his spy novels is also ripped from the headlines.
What happened in the real train documents case?
In 2008, a BBC report revealed a serious national Security Breach in the United Kingdom after obtaining top-secret documents. According to the British news outlet, a civil servant left papers containing classified intelligence about the terrorist organization al-Qaeda on the seat of a train. Another passenger noticed the envelope containing the top secret files and handed it over to the BBC, who then notified the police. Although the forgetful senior civil servant was not identified, they were suspended, and UK cabinet members requested an investigation into the incident. Slow Horses gains authenticity and relevance by drawing on real-life cases and incorporating them into the Apple TV+ series, which contributes to the show's gritty style.
Sources: Wall Street Journal and BBC.
