Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

What To Expect From Rivals, Coming To Disney+ Next Month

Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

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What To Expect From Rivals, Coming To Disney+ Next Month

By Olivia Emily

3 months ago

This eight-part series is set to make a splash

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A star-filled British drama filled with scandal, ego and competition, backed by one of the largest studios in the world? Yes please. Introducing Rivals, an eight-part drama coming to Disney+ next month. Here’s what to expect.

Rivals: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

With a huge cast of big-name actors set to appear, Rivals is one of Disney+’s biggest international productions to date. Lucky us: it is set and was filmed in the UK, and concerns a very-British rivalry.

David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

What Is Rivals About?

Rivals whisks us off to the fashionable Cotswolds, the bucolic swathe of countryside in middle England dotted with luxurious abodes. It’s 1986 and the TV business is booming – if cutthroat. Think big hair and even bigger ambitions. At the fore is Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), controller of Corinium Television whose rivalry with ex-Olympian, MP and notorious womaniser Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) bubbles to the surface. Meanwhile, journalist and TV presenter Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) gets caught in the crossfire.

It’s all backdropped by a lavish life in the countryside: think sandstone palaces, glitzy outfits, blow-out parties, glistening swimming pools, names like ‘Bas’ and ‘Taggie’, and funky ‘80s facial hair to boot. Fancy a taste of the action? A full trailer has just landed. Watch it below…

The Trailer

The Cast Of Rivals

Some of Britain’s shiniest stars have come together for Rivals, including:

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 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
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
Luke S Roberts

Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

Where Was It Filmed?

Rivals was filmed in Tetbury, Gloucestershire and Corsham, Wiltshire in 2023.

With some scenes filmed on set, Rivals was also the first production to be filmed at TBY2, a new facility at The Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove, Bristol.

Is Rivals Based On A Book?

Yes, Rivals is based on Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel of the same name, the second book in her Rutshire Chronicles – a series of books set in the fictional countryside country of Rutshire. Weighing in over 700 pages, it’s a real tome, filled to bursting with scandal, competition, lust, ego and more.