James Callis reveals fate of his character Claude Whelan in fifth series of Slow Horses

Opening up about the character’s flaws, actor James Callis has revealed Claude Whelan faces the consequences of his own mistakes in the fifth season of Slow Horses.

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James Callis has revealed his character Claude Whelan faces the consequences of his own mistakes in the fifth season of Slow Horses
James Callis has revealed his character Claude Whelan faces the consequences of his own mistakes in the fifth season of Slow Horses

James Callis has revealed his character Claude Whelan faces the consequences of his own mistakes in the fifth season of Slow Horses.

The 54-year-old actor, who joined the hit Apple TV+ spy drama in its fourth season, said Claude’s questionable decisions are set to catch up with him following the explosive finale, which saw his secret exposed by the character of Moira. Speaking to RadioTimes.com, James said: “In this season, it’s a different thing. To be honest, they came to me with a lot of ideas, I had a rap sheet of potential Claude peccadillo’s and we chose one that we thought was the most fitting.”

He added: “He’s compromised, but through his own actions. If he’d been smarter with the journalist at the very beginning (in episode one), he probably wouldn’t be in this mess. So again, it’s like you do it to yourself.”

The latest season of the spy show picks up after the dramatic fallout of season four, in which Claude’s alter-ego was exposed by Moira in her ruthless bid to reclaim her job – and secure a raise.

Though the character’s secret remains partially contained, Callis hinted the truth may continue to unravel as the story develops.

Returning for his second season in the series, James said he felt more at ease on set compared with his debut year.

He added: “I felt like I was cooking with gas,” while describing the familiarity of working alongside the ensemble cast. James also said: “Unlike Claude, who’s still finding his feet in this cut-throat environment.”

However, the actor warned Claude’s growing self-assurance might prove short-lived.

He said: “I think that’s, spoiler alert, a certain amount of misplaced confidence.

“When you have one idea, you’re basically like a kid on a bike with the training wheels, and then they take the training wheels off.

“It’s like, ‘Maybe we should have waited a couple of weeks. That’s when you had that bad accident, when the bike took off down a thing and you went into a tree’.”

Reflecting on the self-inflicted nature of Claude’s troubles, James added: “It reminds me of a Radiohead song, which I think a lot – it’s like ‘You do it to yourself. You do. You and no one else. You do it to yourself.’

“It’s true, that’s why it hurts.”