Swansea actor Shaheen Jafargholi has confirmed that filming has started on the second season of the hockey drama Heated Rivalry. The series, which premiered on Canadian streaming service Crave and is available in the UK through Sky and Now TV, has been widely praised by critics and viewers since its late 2025 debut.
New cast members announced
In August, it was announced that the second series of the acclaimed drama would return to screens in spring 2027 with two new cast members. These include Daniel Diemer, known for his role in Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Swansea-born Shaheen.
Shaheen will play Fabian Salah in the show, which is adapted from Rachel Reid's bestselling novel of the same title.
Shaheen's reaction to filming
Speaking to WalesOnline on the red carpet at BAFTA Cymru, Shaheen revealed that filming has started on the second season. He said: "I'm feeling quite good. I'm shooting at the minute. I literally got back from Canada this morning. Everything is going really well. Everyone is super nice."
He added: "I'm the only Welsh person in the show, so like, that's pretty cool. I mean the character, Fabian, he's a very firm, queer, positive, short, soft character within this world and this universe. So, to kind of be that, it's been really fun."
From Britain's Got Talent to global success
Shaheen first captured the public's imagination with his 2009 Britain's Got Talent audition. While he didn't win the competition, placing sixth behind winning dance group Diversity and Susan Boyle, his performance launched him onto the global stage.
When asked if he expected to be as successful as he is now, Shaheen said: "I kind of just take each day as it comes and try to enjoy everything as best as I can. I'm super proud to be from Swansea and to represent Swansea in the work that I do."
New Sky and HBO drama War
The actor also stars in the new Sky and HBO drama War, which features Dominic West and Sienna Miller. He described filming the series as "incredible."
Shaheen said: "War is a new Sky HBO drama which I worked on last September. It's a legal show, but the legal side of things is not really the main point. It's very fun. It's about a divorce that happens to a high-profile couple. My character is called Rhys, and he's a trainee lawyer at a firm called Morgan & Morgan. The whole cast were just incredible. Cast and crew. It was really fun and it's a really fun show. I don't want to give spoilers, but that's come out now."
War is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.
