Danny Dyer had the time of his life at the Rivals series two premiere in London on Wednesday. The actor, who plays rags-to-riches businessman Freddie Jones in the Disney Plus series, joined his co-stars at the star-studded event at BFI IMAX ahead of the release of series two on Friday.
Among the starry guest list, there was one name Danny, 48, was delighted to be in the same room as: '80s legend Tony Hadley. Rivals leaned into its retro setting by recruiting the Spandau Ballet star, 65, to provide the premiere's entertainment, much to Danny's excitement. The hardman actor was spotted dancing in his seat and raising his hands in the air as Tony belted out classics like True and Gold. The singer was also getting into the party spirit, downing a glass of wine on stage during True's saxophone solo.
Danny was joined by the rest of the all-star cast for Wednesday's premiere, with David Tennant, Emily Atack, Nafessa Williams, and Danny's onscreen love interest Katherine Parkinson all walking the red carpet. Based on the late Dame Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel, the comedy-drama debuted on Disney+ in October 2024 and immediately became a huge hit. The eight-episode first series ended in December 2024 and was soon renewed for a second outing. The all-star cast of David, Emily, and Danny Dyer, to name just a few, are back for more raucous exploits in Rutshire, with the main cast members all attending the premiere.
Rivals series two more than lives up to its opening run, according to critics, with a string of five-star reviews heralding its return to screens on Friday. Critics previewing the first four episodes have almost unanimously praised the second outing. Sarah Dempster for The Guardian gives the show five stars but muses 'how best to reward such exquisitely knowing escapism? Ten stars? Ten thousand stars? Rivals is beyond earthly praise'. The Telegraph's Benji Wilson agrees with another five-star write-up, as he declares that 'Rivals continues to refresh the parts that other television cannot reach – a heady mix of guilty pleasure, trenchant satire, rambunctious comedy and out-and-out trash'.
Carol Midgley for The Times says 'despite its deliberate corniness, this is also gloriously uplifting television. It is unashamedly celebratory and perhaps even better than the last series'. Den Of Geek's Lacy Baugher praises the show's 'sprawling cast' who 'remain thoroughly excellent throughout'. Baugher singles out Emily 'who steals much of this run of episodes, and makes her Sarah feel indispensable to the larger world of Rutshire in ways few of us likely expected'.
Rebecca Nicholson for the Financial Times is one of the few to not award five stars, giving the second series three instead. 'Some of the storylines, particularly those about the TV industry, drag a little,' she writes. 'Rivals needs more slapstick, more of those capers, to keep things as light as they need to be for it to really work... Rivals is at its strongest when it embraces its silly side, and accepts its lot as a jolly old romp.'
Nick Hilton for The Independent knocks one star off but says there is plenty to rave about, particularly in the acting. 'There is a sense, across the cast, that everyone is enjoying themselves immensely, whether they're romping on a pony or romping on a staircase,' he writes. 'That's what makes Rivals such a rare treat in today's television landscape. It is well-written and well-acted, but it aspires to nothing more than being fun. Real, associable human emotions are kept at arm's length in favour of stylised bucolic horniness.'
Rivals returns on May 15 on Disney+.
