Rivals

Series Details:

Cast & Character:

• Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black
• David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham
• Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara
• Victoria Smurfit as Maud O’Hara
• Bella Maclean as Agatha ‘Taggie’ O’Hara
• Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O’Hara
• Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook
• Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker
• Oliver Chris as James Vereker
• Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones
• Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones
• Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham
• Luke Pasqualino as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham
• Louis Landau as Archie Baddingham
• Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton
• Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton
• Lara Peake as Daysee Butler
• Annabel Scholey as Beattie Johnson
• Maggie Steed as Lady Gosling
• David Calder as Fergus Penney
• Hubert Burton as Gerald Middleton
• Guy Siner as Bishop Brenton
• Brendan Patricks as Henry Hampshire
• Rich Keeble as Brian Hetherington
• Gary Lamont as Charles Fairburn

Storyline:

Set in 1986, British nobleman, old money MP Rupert Campbell-Black and coming from the bourgeoisie nouveau riche (though married into old money) Lord Tony Baddingham have a rivalry that seeps into the world of Baddingham’s Corinium independent commercial television station, located in the (fictional) county of Rutshire, in the Cotswolds region of southwest England. Baddingham brings American producer Cameron Cook to help stengthen Corinium’s programming, and hires dynamic Irish newsman Declan O’Hara, husband of actress Maude, away from the BBC.

About Series:

In August 2022, Disney+ announced plans for an eight-part adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals. Dominic Treadwell-Collins joined the writing and production team, with Cooper and her literary agent, Felicity Blunt, serving as executive producers. The adaptation would bring a “contemporary skew” to the 1980s novel.

Elliot Hegarty leads as director and executive producer for episodes 1–3, with Eliza Mellor as series producer. Produced by Happy Prince, the series includes Alexander Lamb, Laura Wade, and Lee Mason as additional executive producers, with Wade co-writing alongside Treadwell-Collins. The writers’ room features Sophie Goodhart, Marek Horn, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Dare Aiyegbayo, Kefi Chadwick, Tray Agyeman, and Sorcha Kurien Walsh.

March 2023 saw the announcement of lead cast members, including David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, and Alex Hassell, with Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner joining soon after. In May, Lara Peake and David Calder completed the cast lineup.

Filming began in March 2023, utilizing the newly opened TBY2 facility at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, with additional scenes shot in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

The series premiered on 18 October 2024 on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the United States.

Episodes: