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Rivals brings together two powerful adversaries, a television crew caught between them and families navigating ambition in fictional Rutshire. Here’s who plays the central characters, how they connect, and which performers join season two.
What is Rivals about?
Disney describes Rivals as an eight-part adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel. Set in 1986 in the fictional county of Rutshire, the drama follows a power struggle over independent broadcaster Corinium Television. Its central rivals are Rupert Campbell-Black, a former Olympic show-jumper and Conservative MP, and Lord Tony Baddingham, the television executive who controls Corinium. Disney’s series guide
The feud connects the business of television to the O’Hara family: journalist and presenter Declan O’Hara joins Corinium expecting a major opportunity, then feels Tony has broken his promises. Cameron Cook’s ambitions as a producer add another source of pressure inside the broadcaster.
Who plays the principal Rivals characters?
| Actor | Character | Role in the story |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Hassell | Rupert Campbell-Black | A retired show-jumper and Conservative MP, Rupert is Tony’s arch-nemesis. Disney’s season-two guide says he becomes founder of Venturer and faces mounting personal and political pressure. |
| David Tennant | Lord Tony Baddingham | The sharp-suited Corinium controller, Tony uses secrets, blackmail and pressure to protect his power in the franchise war with Rupert. |
| Aidan Turner | Declan O’Hara | A gifted journalist and presenter recruited from the BBC. His disappointment with Tony’s promises turns him against his new employer. |
| Nafessa Williams | Cameron Cook | An American television executive hired by Tony to produce Declan’s prime-time talk show. She is capable and ambitious, though others underestimate her. |
| Victoria Smurfit | Maud O’Hara | Declan’s former-actress wife, described by Disney as bohemian and fickle. |
| Bella Maclean | Taggie O’Hara | Declan and Maud’s tender-hearted, strong-willed daughter, who helps hold the family together and looks after her younger sister Caitlin. |
| Catriona Chandler | Caitlin O’Hara | Taggie’s younger sister, described in Disney’s launch announcement as wilder than Taggie. |
| Katherine Parkinson | Lizzie Vereker | A romantic novelist overlooked by her television-presenter husband. Disney’s guide says she has been sidelined for too long and sees more than people assume. |
| Oliver Chris | James Vereker | Lizzie’s self-centered husband and a television presenter. |
| Danny Dyer | Freddie Jones | A self-made electronics millionaire: loyal and honourable, but an outsider to Rutshire’s old-money circles. |
| Lisa McGrillis | Valerie Jones | Freddie’s social-climbing wife, also outside the county’s established cliques. |
| Claire Rushbrook | Lady Monica Baddingham | Tony’s upper-class wife, largely uninterested in the drama around his business empire. |
| Luke Pasqualino | Basil “Bas” Baddingham | Tony’s charismatic younger brother and owner of Cotchester nightclub Bar Sinister. |
| Emily Atack | Sarah Stratton | The ambitious new wife of deputy prime minister Paul Stratton, prepared to use attention and social access to advance herself. |
| Rufus Jones | Paul Stratton | Sarah’s husband, the deputy prime minister, whom Disney describes as being in a midlife crisis. |
How do the characters connect?
Corinium and the power struggle
Tony’s control of Corinium gives him institutional power; Rupert challenges that power as a political figure and rival. Declan’s move from the BBC to Corinium draws the O’Hara family into the conflict, while Cameron works within the broadcaster and pursues her own professional ambitions.
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Family, status and ambition
The O’Haras bring the costs of the feud into family life, with Taggie often supporting those around her. Lizzie’s marriage to James places a sidelined novelist beside a presenter with greater public visibility. Freddie and Valerie encounter the county’s established social circles from the position of newcomers, while Sarah seeks influence through her marriage to Paul.
Who joins the cast in season two?
Disney’s season-two cast announcements name five additions:
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| Actor | Character | Connection or description |
|---|---|---|
| Hayley Atwell | Helen Gordon | Rupert Campbell-Black’s aggrieved ex-wife and the mother of his two children. |
| Rupert Everett | Malise Gordon | Helen’s husband and Rupert’s former show-jumping coach and mentor. |
| Rachael Stirling | Araminta Pemberton | Lady Monica Baddingham’s younger sister. |
| Rupert Evans | David Hawkley | An erudite headmaster. |
| Santiago Cabrera | Alejandro Mendoza | An Argentinian polo legend. |
Returning or recurring performers named in Disney’s announcement include Annabel Scholey (Beattie Johnson), Gary Lamont (Charles Fairburn), Hubert Burton (Gerald Middleton), Gabriel Tierney (Patrick O’Hara), Lara Peake (Daysee Butler) and Bryony Hannah (Deirdre Kilpatrick). Disney’s wider supporting-role list also includes Mrs Makepiece, Kevin Makepiece, Joyce Madden, Bobby Riches, Ginger Baines, Reverend Penny, Toshi Yamazaki, Dame Enid Spink, Brian Hetherington, Wesley Emerson, Archie Baddingham, Nathalie Perrault, Henry Hampshire, Hermoine Hampshire, Mr Makepiece, Shelley Makepiece, Bishop Hubert Brenton, Lady Gosling and Steve Meadows. Disney’s returning-cast announcement and season-two cast announcement
Is Rivals based on a book?
Yes. The series adapts Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals, whose Rutshire setting and rivalry over television provide the basis for the drama. The novel is the direct source material for viewers who want to read the story’s book version.
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How many episodes are in season two, and where can you watch?
Disney describes season two as an extended 12-episode season set in the glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television. In a Disney announcement, the first six season-two episodes and all season-one episodes were available on Disney+. That availability is territory- and date-sensitive; check the local Disney+ listing for the current catalogue. Disney’s season announcement
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