If there was ever any doubt that ‘Rivals’ planned to come back quietly, the newly released trailer for Season 2 pretty much kills that idea stone dead. Disney+ has unveiled a fresh look at the return of the gloriously chaotic Jilly Cooper adaptation, and it seems the next chapter is leaning even harder into the mix of lust, ambition, betrayal and beautifully toxic upper-class warfare that made the first run such ridiculous fun.
Season 2 picks up as the battle for the Central South West television franchise goes from messy to outright vicious, with Lord Tony Baddingham apparently more determined than ever to crush Rupert Campbell-Black and Declan O’Hara’s rival operation, Venturer. So yes, if you were hoping everyone might sit down, have a sensible conversation and behave like adults, this may not be the show for you.
Set once again against all the glossy chaos of 1980s excess, polo fields and broadcasting backstabbing, ‘Rivals’ looks set to throw its characters into even more emotional and professional carnage. Marriages are under strain, affairs are threatening to explode, loyalties are wobbling, and the trailer seems very keen to remind viewers that nobody in Rutshire is ever more than five minutes away from making an absolutely terrible decision.
Returning cast includes David Tennant (Doctor Who, The Thursday Murder Club) as Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Boys) as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Hobbit Trilogy) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) as Cameron Cook, Bella Maclean (Sex Education, London Tide) as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson (Humans, Here We Go) as Lizzie Vereker, Danny Dyer (EastEnders, The Football Factory) as Freddie Jones, Victoria Smurfit (Bloodlands, Once Upon A Time) as Maud O’Hara, and Claire Rushbrook (Sherwood, Ali and Ava) as Lady Monica Baddingham.
They’re joined once again by Oliver Chris (The Crown, Trying), Lisa McGrillis (Maternal, Mum), Emily Atack (The Emily Atack Show, The Inbetweeners), Rufus Jones (W1A, Home), Luca Pasqualino (The Musketeers, Shantaram), Catriona Chandler (Wild Cherry, Pistol), Annabel Scholey (The Split), Gary Lamont (Boiling Point, Outlander), Hubert Burton (Wolf Hall, Living), Gabriel Tierney (Enola Holmes 2, The Winter King), Lara Peake (How To Have Sex, Reunion) and Bryony Hannah (Talamasca, Call The Midwife).
Season 2 also adds some very tasty new arrivals, with Hayley Atwell (Mission Impossible, Agent Carter) appearing as Helen Gordon, Rupert’s ex-wife, alongside Rupert Everett (Napoleon, My Policeman) as her husband Malise Gordon. There are also new faces from the Rutshire world in the form of Maxim Ays (Boarders, Sanditon) as Sebbie Carlisle and Bobby Lockwood (Wolfblood, Here We Go) as Dommie Carlisle.
Disney previously confirmed the second season would run for 12 episodes in total, split across two six-episode batches, so there should be plenty more room for the adaptation to really get stuck into the chaos of Cooper’s world. Given how well the first season landed, both with audiences and awards voters, it is hardly surprising Disney is treating this as one of its big returning dramas for the year.
‘Rivals’ Season 2 premieres Friday, 15th May 2026 on Disney+ in the UK.
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