Dustin Demri-Burns in Slow Horses
Dustin Demri-Burns plays Min Harper in Series 1 and 2 of Slow Horses. Min is one of the original office ensemble, a man whose intelligence work competes for attention with awkward conversations, romantic hopes and the wish to get through an ordinary day. Demri-Burns gives him a distracted warmth that makes Slough House feel inhabited rather than merely designed to deliver insults.
The role makes particularly good use of comic uncertainty. Min can seem to be trying out a sentence before deciding whether he believes it, or checking a colleague’s reaction after the moment to withdraw the remark has already passed. Beside Rosalind Eleazar’s Louisa, that hesitation has an appealing contrast with her sharper delivery. Their scenes allow the audience to care about two people who are frequently failing to communicate.
What he has said about Min
Interview discussion — Series 2 spoilers
Demri-Burns and Eleazar discussed Min’s story with TheWrap in December 2022. He described the role as a substantial part of his working life, taking up much of two years. His comments recognise the significance of joining a continuing ensemble even when a character’s time within it is limited. The conversation also makes clear that the outcome was known to him from the beginning, rather than sprung on the actor during production.
His response to the show’s willingness to take risks was straightforward: television benefits when it does not always protect a popular character. He also noted the brutality of colleagues carrying on with their work after a loss. That observation fits Min’s place in the series. Demri-Burns makes him recognisably human, while the institution around him remains capable of treating a life as an operational detail.
Standout scenes – Series 1 and 2 spoilers
The original kidnapping investigation lets Min contribute to a team that is forced beyond its usual routine. In Series 1, Episode 6, his place alongside Louisa and the others matters because the rescue is an ensemble effort rather than a solo display of expertise. Demri-Burns preserves the character’s awkwardness even when the assignment becomes serious.
Series 2, Episode 2 moves Min into surveillance that he undertakes with more confidence than caution. The pursuit and drinking encounter expose the danger behind an apparently social meeting. Demri-Burns plays the uncomfortable wish to seem equal to the situation, making the moment increasingly difficult to watch without announcing its destination.
By Series 2, Episode 3, the account of Min’s death forces the department to reconsider what it has been told. The shock depends partly on the ordinary life Demri-Burns has already established. Min is not presented as someone with a grand destiny; the loss lands because a modest, imperfect colleague has become familiar. The actor’s interview acknowledges both the dramatic value of that decision and the sadness of leaving the production.
Career highlights
Demri-Burns is also a writer and comedian. With Seb Cardinal, he created and performed the sketch show Cardinal Burns, launched on E4 in 2012. Channel 4’s launch interview introduces the partnership and its movement from live comedy to television. United Agents records the act’s British Comedy Award win and BAFTA nomination, distinctions that belong to the duo rather than a solo acting award for Min.
His screen credits extend well beyond sketch work. United Agents lists Dan in Am I Being Unreasonable?, Julian in Stath Lets Flats, Voltaire in The Great and Arriguccio in The Decameron. Each places him inside a different comic structure: a domestic mystery, workplace farce, historical satire and an ensemble set during the plague. Min occupies a fifth version, where comedy must coexist with the possibility of immediate physical danger.
In All My Friends Hate Me, Demri-Burns plays Harry. BFI’s programme notes identify the film as a 2021 production, presented in its 2022 new-release programme. Andrew Gaynord directs a social comedy in which Pete’s birthday gathering becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Harry is a particularly effective alternative to Min because his presence unsettles the group instead of inviting the audience to worry about his own place within it.
Additional agency-listed film roles include Viktor in The Spy Who Dumped Me and Danny Sinclair in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. The professional credits demonstrate a career crossing supporting film comedy, recurring television roles and the authored sketch partnership. They also provide a firmer basis for a profile than guessing that every familiar comedy face must have followed the same route into acting.
Where to watch next
Cardinal Burns (2012) is the starting point for the actor’s writing and character-comedy partnership with Seb Cardinal. The sketch format lets a performance establish its rules quickly and then push them further than a naturalistic drama usually can. It makes a useful companion to Min’s smaller, more hesitant comic moments.
All My Friends Hate Me (2021) is the feature-film choice, particularly for viewers who enjoy comedy becoming unsettling. Am I Being Unreasonable? gives Demri-Burns a substantial role as Dan inside a domestic mystery. The Decameron (2024), where he plays Arriguccio, offers another ensemble comedy with a historical setting. Together these choices show different uses of discomfort without retelling the Slow Horses plot.
Questions and answers
Who plays Min Harper in Slow Horses?
Dustin Demri-Burns plays Min Harper in the first two television series. The Min profile keeps the character’s later developments behind spoiler controls.
Is Dustin Demri-Burns part of Cardinal Burns?
Yes. He forms the comedy partnership Cardinal Burns with Seb Cardinal and performs in their television sketch show.
Who does Dustin Demri-Burns play in Am I Being Unreasonable?
He plays Dan in the BBC comedy-thriller created by Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli. His agency lists the role across its first two series.