Emily Atack's sister jokingly remarked that the Rivals star would be 'insufferable' following her appearance on a massive billboard outside London's IMAX cinema. After the star-studded premiere of the show, celebrity agent Martha Atack took to Instagram to share a video of the poster, captioning it: 'She's going to be insufferable tomorrow. But very proud, Rivals is perfection'.
Emily's face and figure have become central to the show's promotional campaign, thanks to a series of risqué scenes, including a nude moment while playing tennis in the first season. The 36-year-old actress, who portrays the promiscuous Sarah Stratton, looked stunning at the premiere in an elegant silver gown before transforming into a Sixties siren for the after-party, wearing a retro-style shift dress.
Last month, Emily reflected on her role playing 'flawed' women ahead of the new series, which also features Dany Dyer, David Tennant, and Katherine Parkinson. The Disney+ project, based on Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name, became an instant hit when it debuted in 2024. Emily described Sarah, the second wife of MP Paul Stratton, as 'an absolute f***ing nightmare'. She told The Times: 'People in the past never wanted to admit that they identify with characters like Sarah as she's promiscuous and naughty. Now, characters like her, people are going, 'Why am I rooting for them?' I'm all for that. I want to play a flawed woman in a right bl**dy pickle.'
The second series is set to air on Friday, and Disney is reportedly so confident in its success that talks for a third series have already begun. The third instalment would be based on Jilly's 1991 novel Polo, the third book in her Rutshire Chronicles. A source told The Sun: 'It's not clear yet if the next series will still be called Rivals or flip to become Polo, or perhaps another title altogether. Either way, Disney are so confident the second series will be as well received as the debut season they already have wheels in motion on the third. Fans will be delighted to know that almost all the characters in Rivals also appear in Polo - and the follow-up novel is just as steamy as its predecessor, if not more so.' Filming for the third series could begin later this year and would likely air in late 2027 or early 2028.
This news follows Rivals star Katherine Parkinson sharing the cast's devastated reaction to the death of Dame Jilly Cooper midway through filming. Dame Jilly had been heavily involved in the production, including overseeing scriptwriting and joining the cast on set. Speaking to the Daily Mail at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards, Parkinson added that the cast hopes the second series will 'do Jilly justice.' She said: 'It was a real shock. Obviously she was, whatever age she was, it was a real shock and everyone was really quite stunned by it. But I think that we just want the show to do her justice even more than before, and I think it will, and we've got 12 episodes, and I'm really excited for you all to see.'
