Katherine Parkinson has revealed that her character Lizzie Vereker is "stepping up" in the new episodes of hit drama Rivals, as her affair with Freddie Jones becomes more complicated.
The award-winning Disney+ drama, set in the 1980s Cotswolds and based on Jilly Cooper's novel, returns for the second part of Season Two next week. Lizzie has become a successful novelist and has found escapism from her dull marriage and loveless husband James through an affair with Freddie, played by Danny Dyer.
Lizzie's Journey of Self-Discovery
Teasing what is to come, Katherine said: "Stepping into her power is a lovely way of putting it. It feels like that, in general, with Lizzie's part because I think they could have told the story that Freddie ran after her in the rain and then they were together. But I think stepping into her power is not just going from one bad relationship to the good relationship."
On Lizzie's affair with Freddie, which will continue when viewers rejoin the story, she added: "I think it's great because in the first part you see the story of an affair, the kind of snatching of moments and the unleashed affair-iness of it all. Then, in episodes 11 and 12 you see the slightly more complicated side of it. I think it's very well told, that journey."
Emotional Scene with Claire Rushbrook
Rutshire is also set to be rocked by tragedy, scandal and betrayal as the battle between media rivals Venturer and Corinium reaches breaking point. Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant, is grieving the death of his wife Lady Monica Baddingham, played by Claire Rushbrook.
Katherine, 48, and Claire were together in a poignant scene in episode six shortly before her character died, which has resonated with viewers. The pair had a deeply honest, emotional talk about their unhappy marriages and why women give up so much for men and should stop living in fear.
Katherine said: "To get to do that scene with Claire, and I don't say this lightly because it sounds really pretentious to say it matters, but I did feel like it was quite an important scene, because it was not something I've seen before. And yet so often people's experience, talking about having the strength to not put up with these bad situations, these bad relationships, I think it's still relevant from the response that we've had for it.
"But also, it felt like a gift to the women of generations gone, our mothers' generations and our mothers' mothers' generations. And a gift to our daughters as well, to say it like it is, which is, 'You deserve better'. I found it a really profound experience."
She added: "Claire and I feel like we've slept together, like we've had a full intimate moment. We can't really be around each other now without sort of giggling. I really did enjoy that day very much."
Co-Stars Praise Parkinson
Katherine's performances in Rivals have been critically acclaimed and she is much loved by her co-stars. Danny Dyer said: "I love working with Katherine [Parkinson], she is ***king amazing, and I love Lisa [McGrillis] as well. I've said this before but I'm very grateful to be in Rivals and very lucky to be surrounded by the best of the best actors."
The new series also features hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, as affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Lizzie finds Venturer and Corinium fighting over the TV rights to her novel, but just because she is in an affair with Freddie, it doesn't necessarily mean he will win this battle.
She said: "It's quite good because you see Lizzie being really quite clear-eyed about her work. She's had to be. For so long she's had James doubting her and she has been writing on spec, just having to be her own cheerleader. I think it means that when it comes to a bidding war, after all that work and all of the failures she's had along the way, I know with writers, you really have to have a very strong sense of your own abilities. So, I think she's just like 'No, no, no, I'm going to do the best by the book.'"
Rivals, based on the eponymous novels by the late Dame Jilly Cooper, launched in 2024 and features a star-studded cast also including Emily Atack, David Tennant and Aidan Turner. Rivals returns on November 11 with the second batch of its series two episodes, beginning with a three-episode premiere on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the US.
