Disney+ has released a trailer for part two of Rivals season two, teasing fights, funerals, and forbidden love following the cliffhanger mid-season finale. The series returns on November 11.
The trailer, released on Tuesday, shows David Tennant's ruthless TV boss Lord Tony Baddingham appearing heartbroken after the first half of season two ended with the death of his wife Monica, played by Claire Rushbrook. Monica had told Teddy she wanted a divorce after he cheated on her, but she was killed in a storm when her car collided with a tree.
Funeral confrontation and escalating rivalry
At what appears to be Monica's funeral, his rival Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) tells Lord Baddingham: "Your wife died in my arms. Broken by your games." The TV mogul replies: "Well, she's not here anymore. I've got nothing left to do but fight."
The series, based on the novel by the late Dame Jilly Cooper, is set in the Cotswolds in the 1980s and follows the high-stakes world of British television as careers, marriages, and reputations hang by a thread when professional and personal lives collide. One key storyline sees Lord Baddingham on a mission to destroy the rival television company founded by Campbell-Black and Declan O'Hara (Aiden Turner), with the rivalry escalating in the upcoming episodes.
Romantic entanglements deepen
Romantic tensions also continue to rise as Campbell-Black shares stolen glances and intimate moments with his love interest Taggie O'Hara (Bella MacLean). The pair exchange unspoken words as Campbell-Black tells her he is leaving for Christmas, insisting: "I've got nothing to come back for."
Elsewhere, Lord Baddingham appears to continue his affair with Declan's estranged wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit), while Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) continues a romance outside his marriage, as his relationship with Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson) turns up a notch. The couple are both trapped in unhappy marriages, and the trailer sees Freddie ask Lizzie if she wants him to stop sleeping with his wife. Things seem to grow more complicated as she responds: "I don't think I can ask you that."
Drama escalates to a climax
Whitesnake's hit 1980s track Here I Go Again plays as further scenes of longing, forbidden romances, and men playing polo show through the trailer, before Dyer's character hints at the drama to come. "Someone close to us can't be trusted," he says. "There's nowhere left to hide," Declan adds, amid clips of characters including Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack) and Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), before Taggie tells Rupert: "I need you to win."
Rupert swears against love as Cook tells him if he continues as he is, he will "run out of hearts to break", seemingly referencing their romance in recent episodes. James Vereker, who is married to Lizzie but currently pursuing an affair with Stratton, is seen being punched by her husband Paul (Rufus Jones) as the trailer reaches a climax.
Parties, polo, and fireworks flash throughout the trailer, and Taggie is seen looking cosy with Bas Baddingham, Luke Pasqualino's character, while Declan says: "Life is not all magic and fairy tales." The preview ends with Campbell-Black and Taggie exchanging a longing look, as the former MP says: "Why can't it be?"
Return date and production details
Rivals season two will return on November 11 with a three-episode premiere on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the US. The season, which received an extended run of 12 episodes, has enjoyed widespread acclaim from both critics and the public. The show was renewed for a third season in June.
Dame Jilly was an active part of the show's production and served as an executive producer. In October last year, during filming for the second series, she died unexpectedly aged 88 after suffering injuries from a fall at home.
