It started with a bang and in many ways it ended with one too. Season 1 of Rivals, the British bonkbuster based on the raunchy 1980s novel by Jilly Cooper was the perfect escapism TV for the second half of the year.
And when it left us dangling with a shocking cliffhanger, well, we became as desperate as some of the upper-class inhabitants of the fictional country town of Rutshire.
Thankfully, the “Cooperverse” is expanding with the show renewed for a second season – which means more of Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell).
What is Rivals about?
As far as opening scenes go, the first few seconds of the steamy new British drama Rivals are, well, unrivalled. It involves two perfectly formed, naked buttocks belonging to one of the rivals, Rupert Campbell-Black (played by Alex Hassell), in the bathroom of the Concorde. It definitely set the scene of what to expect and helped it rightly earn the description as one of the raunchiest shows on television.
Adapted from the novel by Jilly Cooper, the series is firmly rooted in the hedonistic 80s, following the power hungry social elite with the excessive world of independent television as the backdrop. It chronicles the rivalry of two men: Rupert, an ex-Olympian and now Tory MP, and TV executive Lord Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant. Rupert joins forces with his new neighbour, TV presenter Declan O’Hara to overthrow the unscrupulous television magnate but there’s love triangles, double-crossing and backstabbing to overcome first.
It’s packed with sex and nudity, it’s silly and over-the-top with a killer soundtrack. Seriously, what are you waiting for?
Who is in the cast in Rivals?
The cast of Rivals TV series is a who’s who of British and Irish actors and while they may not be household names to everyone in Australia, their faces are oh so familiar.
David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) stars as ambitious TV station controller Lord Tony Baddingham. Tennant said he was convinced to join the show by his wife, Georgia. “It wasn’t something I had a great previous knowledge of, but Georgia knew the books from her teenage years and knew that this was going to make sensational television,” he told The Sun.
In order to expand his media empire, Tony poaches hard-hitting BBC journalist Declan O’Hara, played by Aidan Turner. The 41-year-old Irish actor, who starred in Poldark, told The Times there was so “much sex on our show, we have to have two intimacy coaches. TWO!”
Lothario Rupert Campbell-Black, Lord Tony’s arch rival, is played by Alex Hassel, and let’s just say if you haven’t seen him before, you probably won’t forget him after this. And what you see of the 44-year-old actor is all him. “I wouldn’t have done the job if I was particularly shy about my body,” he told the The Times.
Also in the cast is Nafessa Williams (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) who plays Cameron Cook, a ferociously talented American TV executive, Victoria Smurfit as Maud O’Hara, a former actress and Declan’s wild wife, and Bella Maclean (Sex Education) plays Declan and Maud’s strong-willed elder daughter, Taggie.
Will there be a Season 2 of Rivals?
Aidan Turner, who plays Declan O’Hara, says he has “never wanted a Season 2 of anything more in my life,” and we couldn’t agree more. So now we can happily confirm that the saucy series will be back for a second season – although it seems we are going to have to be patient. There’s no date confirmed as yet and it seems hard to see how it will hit screens before 2026. But with confirmation of Season 2 and the plethora of source material – Cooper wrote 11 books in this series – the signs are good for plenty more seasons to come. The cast of Season 2 is yet to be confirmed.
Where can I watch Rivals in Australia?
If you want to catch up on Rivals before Season 2 arrives, it is now streaming now exclusively on Disney Plus.
Stream Rivals on Disney Plus from $13.99/mth.
