Disney has released the first look at the upcoming second season of 'Rivals', currently filming in the UK and set to debut in 2026. The critically acclaimed drama, based on the late Dame Jilly Cooper's bestselling novel, promises 'even more wit, desire, and jaw-dropping twists'.
Returning cast members include David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner as Declan O'Hara, Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook, and Bella Maclean as Taggie O'Hara. New images show Tennant striding from a helicopter, Hassell lurking in a storage cupboard, and Turner against a blue campervan.
New additions to the cast include Hayley Atwell as Helen Gordon, Rupert Everett as Malise Gordon, Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt, and Jonny Weldon. Atwell's character is the former spouse of Rupert Campbell-Black, while Everett plays her current husband and Rupert's former show-jumping instructor.
Filming locations include Beaufort Polo Club, Berkeley Castle, and Corsham in Gloucestershire, as well as Bristol. The series is set in the 'glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television'. Disney's description teases: 'Power struggles intensify, rivalries deepen and ambition pushes loyalties to the brink.'
Following the death of Dame Jilly Cooper in October 2025 at age 88, cast members paid tribute. Gary Lamont called her 'a privilege to have been in her orbit', while Victoria Smurfit said 'our Queen is in the sky'. Cooper's children Felix and Emily described her as 'the shining light in all of our lives'.
