Rivals is a British period comedy-drama television series based on the Rutshire Chronicles novel series by Jilly Cooper. It stars an ensemble cast including David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Emily Atack, Lisa McGrillis and Danny Dyer. The first series was released on 18 October 2024 on Disney+. The first six episodes of the second series were released in May and June 2026. The last six episodes of the second series are set to release in November 2026. In June 2026, it was renewed for a third series.
Synopsis In the first series, set in 1986, the rivalry between British nobleman and Member of Parliament Rupert Campbell-Black and nouveau riche Tony, Lord Baddingham, seeps into the (fictional) county of Rutshire, in the Cotswolds region of south-west England. Tony brings American producer Cameron Cook to help strengthen Corinium's programming, and hires dynamic Irish newsman Declan O'Hara, husband of actress Maud, away from the BBC. After falling out with Tony, Declan begins his own company, Venturer, with Rupert and tech tycoon Freddie Jones.
The second series is set in 1987, at the time of the general election and the Great Storm, and follows Cameron joining Venturer with Declan and Rupert, with Tony seeking revenge on all three.
Cast and characters Main Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black, a retired Olympian show jumper, notorious womaniser, and a Tory MP and sports minister. Despite his outward charm and facility with people, he lives a lonely life with his many dogs. Rupert joins Venturer with Declan and Freddie and develops feelings for Agatha (Taggie). In series 2, he retires as an MP and minister, and is in a relationship with Cameron, further complicating his feelings for Taggie. Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook, an American TV producer from New York who works for Corinium and has an affair with Tony during series 1. In series 2, she is in a relationship with Rupert. Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton, the second wife and former mistress of Conservative MP Paul Stratton, with aspirations of being a television presenter. Catriona ChandlerCatriona Chandler:
Catriona-Chandler Viewties Magazine as Caitlin O'Hara, Declan and Maud's youngest child who is attending boarding school. Oliver Chris as James Vereker, a TV host and actor at Corinium and Lizzie's self-absorbed husband. Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, a self-made successful electronics businessman and resident in Rutshire in a loveless marriage. He is attracted to Lizzie. Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton, a Conservative MP going through a mid-life crisis who is embroiled in an adultery scandal at the beginning of the series. Bella Maclean as Agatha "Taggie" O'Hara, Declan and Maud's overlooked middle child with aspirations of opening her own catering company. She has several poor first impressions of Rupert, but gradually develops a crush on him as they spend more time together. Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones, Freddie's wife, a notorious social climber who runs a clothing boutique in town. She is often mocked for her bourgeois lack of taste. Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker, a romance author and resident of Rutshire who is good friends with Rupert. She is neglected by her narcissistic husband and is used to his affairs and lack of attention. She gradually develops a romantic connection with Freddie. Luke Pasqualino as Basil "Bas" Baddingham, Tony's younger and promiscuous half-brother who owns the local pub. Claire Rushbrook as Monica, Lady Baddingham, Tony's wife, an introvert generally uninvested in her husband's business. Annabel Scholey as Beattie Johnson, a journalist who is in a relationship with Rupert at the beginning of the series. Victoria Smurfit as Maud O'Hara, Declan's wife, an actress whose marriage is recovering from an affair she had prior to the series, and is known to be flirtatious with other men. She is neglected by her workaholic husband. Tony hires her in series 2. Aidan Turner as Declan O'Hara, a temperamental Irish former BBC journalist who is recruited by Corinium to host his own show at the beginning of the series. After seeing Tony's true colours, he leaves Corinium to start his own company, Venturer. He initially has a hostile relationship with Rupert, but the two gradually become friends and trusted colleagues. David Tennant as Tony, Lord Baddingham, the ruthless managing director of Corinium Television. He has an affair with Cameron during series 1. He attempts to instrumentalize Declan in his war against Rupert. Gary Lamont as Charles Fairburn (series 2, supporting series 1), the controller of programmes at Corinium who has a secret romance with Gerald. Hubert Burton as Gerald Middleton (series 2, supporting series 1), Rupert's personal aide. In series 2, he takes Rupert's former seat as a Conservative MP. Gabriel Tierney as Patrick O'Hara (series 2, supporting series 1), Declan and Maud's eldest child who harbours feelings for Cameron. He is a young idealist. Anastasia Griffith (series 1, supporting) and Hayley Atwell (series 2) as Helen Gordon, Rupert's ex-wife and mother of his two children. Rupert Everett as Malise Gordon (series 2), Helen's husband and Rupert's former showjumping coach. Jonny Weldon as Mike Maples (series 2) Bryony Hannah as Deirdre Kilpatrick (series 2, supporting series 1), an assistant to James Vereker at Corinium. Louis Landau as Archie Baddingham (series 2, supporting series 1), Tony and Monica's teenage son. Dan Tetsell as Steve Meadows (series 2, supporting series 1)
Supporting Rich Keeble as Brian Hetherington, a director at Corinium. Milo Callaghan (series 1) as Seb Burrows, a journalist at Corinium. He offers to be a spy for Venturer and is fired by Tony as a result. In series 1 he dates Taggie. Lara Peake as Daysee Butler, a production assistant at Corinium. Denise Black as Joyce Madden, Tony's assistant. Antony Byrne as Ginger Baines, Tony's unscrupulous enforcer. David Calder as Reverend Fergus Penney, Lady Gosling's right-hand man. Brendan Patricks as Henry Hampshire, a member of the local Rutshire aristocracy. Olivia Poulet as Hermione Hampshire, wife of Henry. Guy Siner as Bishop Hubert Brenton, a clergyman. Selina Griffiths as Dame Enid Spink, a classical musician. Gilbert Kyem Jnr as Wesley Emerson, a cricketer and minor sports celebrity. Wendy Albiston as Mrs Makepiece, a housekeeper and help hired by multiple residents of Rutshire. Emma Shipp and Jamie Bisping as Shelley and Kevin Makepiece, Mrs Makepiece's children Georgia Mack and Ryan Baker as Sharon and Wayne Jones, Freddie and Valerie's children Maggie Steed as Lady Gosling, the steely no-nonsense chair of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA). Nino Furuhata as Toshi Yamazaki, a "millionaire whiz kid" Eliot Salt (series 2) as Caroline "Muffy" Hampshire, Henry and Hermione's daughter. Maxim Ays and Bobby Lockwood (series 2) as Sebbie and Dommie Carlisle, polo-playing twins. Oliver Dench (series 2) as Hugo K Bruce Amanda Lawrence (series 2) as Sally Menzies-Scott Nimmi Harasgama (series 2) as Chandra Roy Holly Cattle as Perdita Macleod (series 2), Rupert's illegitimate daughter. Amelie Child Villiers and Olive Tennant (series 2) as Beatrice and Camilla Baddingham, Tony's daughters Charlotte Rice-Foley and Leo Weston (series 2) as Tabitha and Marcus Campbell-Black, Rupert's children
Series overview
Episodes Series 1 (2024) The first series is based on Rivals (1988).
Series 2 (2026)
Production In August 2022, it was reported that Disney+ were planning an eight-part adaptation of the Jilly Cooper novel Rivals. Dominic Treadwell-Collins was on the writing and production team, whilst Cooper and Felicity Blunt, Cooper's literary agent, would serve as executive producers on the show. It was reported that the 1980s novel would be given a "contemporary skew".
The lead director is Elliot Hegarty, who is also credited as an executive producer for episodes 1 through 3. Eliza Mellor is a series producer. The project is produced by Happy Prince with Alexander Lamb, Laura Wade, and Lee Mason also as executive producers. Wade is also co-writer with Treadwell-Collins; the writers' room includes Sophie Goodhart, Marek Horn, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Dare Aiyegbayo, Kefi Chadwick, Tray Agyeman, and Sorcha Kurien Walsh.
In December 2024, it was renewed for a second series. In June 2026, it was renewed for a third series.
Casting Casting in lead roles was announced in March 2023, with David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, and Alex Hassell amongst those cast. That same month, Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner were added to the cast. In May 2023, the cast was rounded out with Lara Peake and David Calder revealed to be joining the series.
In August 2025, Rupert Everett and Hayley Atwell joined the cast for series 2 alongside Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt and Jonny Weldon. Other new cast members included Olive Tennant and Amelie Child Villiers.
Filming The series, which started filming in March 2023, was one of the initial productions to use TBY2, a newly completed facility at The Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove, Bristol. Filming also took place in Tetbury in Gloucestershire in March 2023. Filming for the second series began on 21 May 2025. Filming locations included Clevedon, Somerset and Corsham, Wiltshire.
Release The first series was released in the UK and internationally, including Australia, on Disney+ and in the United States on Hulu on 18 October 2024. In October 2025, Hulu was integrated into the Disney+ platform and Star original programming such as Rivals had become Hulu programming worldwide. The second series is set to be released in two parts, with the first part released from 15 May to 5 June 2026 and the second part set to premiere on 11 November with three episodes, and the remaining three episodes landing weekly afterwards.
Reception Viewership The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks 20 million monthly viewing decisions across all streaming platforms in the U.S., reported that Rivals was the tenth most-streamed series in the U.S. during the week of 10 October 2024. It remained in tenth place for the weeks ending 6 and 13 November.
Critical response For the first series, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 95% approval rating, based on 40 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A caustic comedy with swagger, Rivals makes class warfare and catty behavior addictive viewing." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".