Slow Horses star Nick Mohammed addresses 'inevitable' comparisons between his character and Sadiq Khan
"Can you tell I’ve been briefed?”
Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed joins Slow Horses for season 5, playing the Mayor of London Zahar Jaffrey, in a story surrounding the city's mayoral election.
Now, speaking at a special An Evening with Radio Times screening and Q&A for the show's latest season at the BFI, Mohammed was asked whether he was inspired by anyone in particular in his portrayal of the role – to which he admitted comparisons between Zahar and real-life London Mayor Sadiq Khan were inevitable.
Mohammed said: "I think that there will inevitably be people who are drawing comparisons to the current Mayor of London, but [...] this was written a while ago.
"Yes, I guess it is quite sad that some of it feels really current now, but he's not based on one particular person. I think he represents a side of politics, which I guess is left-leaning, but he's by no means without fault. He's vain, he grandstands a lot, he likes the sound of his own voice, he uses as many things as he can to his own advantage. He tries to score political points."
He continued: "So he's dynamic in that way and he's quite complicated. He’s sort of an amalgam of lots of different politicians, really."
Mohammed then quipped, "Can you tell I’ve been briefed?”
Mohammed isn't the only new star joining for season 5. Hiba Bennani is also joining the cast, playing Tara, Roddy Ho's glamorous new girlfriend.
They will of course be joined by returning cast members including Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kirstin Scott Thomas, Christopher Chung, Saskia Reeves, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Tom Brooke, James Callis and more.
This season is set to include some crucial scenes between Lowden and Edwards, with Edwards having said that her character Shirley's "relationship with River becomes very important in this series".
Read more:
Slow Horses season 5 releases on 25th September 2025 on Apple TV+ – sign up to Apple TV+ now.
Add Slow Horses to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
