Disney+’s Rivals to Feature Extended Second Season

Disney+ has extended the second season of Rivals, which will wrap filming by the end of the month, to feature 12 episodes.

Rivals is based on the best-selling novel by Dame Jilly Cooper, part of her Rutshire Chronicles series. The drama takes place in the Cotswolds countryside, delving into the high-stakes world of 1980s British television. Each character grapples with the balance between their personal and professional lives, where secrets cannot stay hidden for long.

Season two will once again be produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. This new season will feature returning cast members as well as new faces.

Reprising their roles are David Tennant (Doctor Who, The Thursday Murder Club) as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Boys) as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Suspect) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook (Black Lighting, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Bella Maclean (Sex Education, London Tide) as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson (Humans, Here We Go) as Lizzie Vereker, Danny Dyer (EastEnders, The Football Factory) as Freddie Jones, Victoria Smurfit (Bloodlands, Once Upon A Time) as Maud O’Hara, Claire Rushbrook (Sherwood, Ali and Ava) as Lady Monica Baddingham, Oliver Chris (The Crown, Trying) as James Vereker, Lisa McGrillis (Maternal, Mum) as Valerie Jones, Emily Atack (The Emily Atack Show, The Inbetweeners) as Sarah Stratton, Rufus Jones (W1A, Home) as Paul Stratton, Luca Pasqualino (The Musketeers, Shantaram) as Basil “Bas” Baddingham, Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O’Hara (Pistol, Enola Holmes 2) and Annabel Scholey (The Split).

“I’m utterly sex-static filming, for the second season is upon us,” Cooper said. “It was magical working with Happy Prince and Disney+ on the first season and seeing everyone fall head over heels for my beloved characters. I’m delighted to be able to work with them again and for everyone to see what further mischief they all get up to!”

Rivals is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal, Holding), Alexander Lamb (Ackley Bridge, The Bay), Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty (Cheaters, Ted Lasso), Laura Wade (The Riot Club), Dame Jilly Cooper and Disney+’s Jonny Richards. The series producer is Eliza Mellor (The Midwich Cuckoos, Behind Her Eyes), and the series is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Laura Wade, Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Kefi Chadwick, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh and Dare Aiyegbayo. The directors are Elliot Hegarty, Jamie J Johnson and Dee Koppang O’Leary.

Lee Mason, executive director of Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA said “It’s a real privilege to have this phenomenal team back together for season two of Rivals. From the exceptional cast, the remarkable creative team behind the camera – including the one and only Dame Jilly Cooper. Disney+ audiences are in for an absolute treat. Rutshire, here we come…”.

Rivals will return to Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ internationally. Season one of the series is now streaming on Disney+.