The 1980s are about to burst back onto our screens once again, thanks to the second series of Jilly Cooper's Rivals. This time, it contains even more boozing, bust-ups, and bonking than the first series. Ahead of the launch on Disney+ later this month, the cast playing the Rutshire regulars have revealed the secrets of the new run, which they hope will be even bigger than the hugely popular first series.
Plot Twists and Character Returns
Series one ended with David Tennant's character Tony, also known as Lord Baddingham, being left for dead after an almighty row with his mistress Cameron Cook, played by Nafessa Williams. He has returned madder and badder than ever, but now his wife Monica, played by Claire Rushbrook, is watching closely. As he gambles everything in the pursuit of victory, Tony is about to discover the true cost of war. The actor says that the whack on the head has not improved his character's mood, after discovering that arch-enemy Rupert Campbell-Black, a polo player turned Tory MP, is going all out to win the local TV franchise with his new consortium.
“He’s a little bit vulnerable when we first meet him – physically vulnerable – and he’s had a shock,” David says of cigar-chomping Tony. “But it makes him more determined to win, to succeed, to crush everything beneath him. It may have taken off a couple of filters. The safety wheels are slightly off for Tony, if they were ever there at all. It’s slightly unleashed him.”
Surprises and Guest Appearances
In terms of upcoming surprises for the audience, David says that Lady in Red hitmaker Chris de Burgh playing live in one episode was “extraordinarily giddy-making”. He laughs: “All of us who lived through it remember his work – and particularly the song he sings in the show – it just says mid-eighties in every possible sense. To have him there singing live to us was an absolute joy.”
Gary Lamont, who plays TV executive Charles Fairburn, said people watching the first series had said the joy in it felt palpable. “I believe that’s because we had such a joyous time making it,” he mused. “If you enjoyed season one, buckle up, because season two will absolutely knock your socks off.”
New Cast Members
Katherine Parkinson believes she had a hand in getting Rupert Everett signed up to play Malise Gordon, Rupert's old polo boss who is now married to his ex-wife Helen. She says that after the success of the first series, created by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, she was inundated with messages from people wanting to join in with the fun. “I’ve never had so many brazen texts from people who aren’t typically brazen,” she laughed. “Not just actors, but makeup designers, costume people – saying, how the hell do I get in on this? One of the people who texted me is actually in the second series.” Revealing that it is Rupert Everett, who directed her in a stage production of Uncle Vanya in 2019, she said: “He’s hilarious and brilliant company. When Rivals came out, he texted saying, how do I get in this wonderful, gorgeous show?” Fast-forward a few months and he had landed a part. “I don’t think he needed to ask me – he’s Rupert Everett,” she added, modestly. “I think he was friends with Jilly.”
Love and Complications
Katherine plays local author Lizzie Vereker, who is married to Corinium anchor James, who is having an affair with fellow presenter Sarah Stratton, who is married to Tory MP Paul. Lizzie herself is now contemplating a full-blown affair with tech billionaire Freddie Jones, who not only backs Rupert's TV company Venturer but is also funding a new polo team. “The advantage of being middle-aged is that there’s a tenderness and an intimacy to it,” she explained. “I really liked that the B-plot romances didn’t feel any less than the A-plots. Middle-aged love, even adulterous love, is particularly moving.”
Actor Danny Dyer, who plays Freddie, agreed: “We’re delving into the complications of two people who are madly in love but married with children to other people. There are a lot of people rooting for infidelity, which is quite rare.” Last time around the actor found learning Japanese for the role pretty challenging, but this time he has had to learn to play polo and also speak French along with more Japanese. “I can now actually ride a horse – I’ve been lying about it for many years, and now I actually can,” he guffawed. “Freddie speaks five different languages – Dutch, Italian – we haven’t delved into all of them yet. He’s so humble.”
Acting Challenges
Emily Atack, who plays ambitious, promiscuous, and newly pregnant TV presenter Sarah Stratton, said the second series had pushed her acting skills to new heights. This is largely thanks to a long, complicated scene shot in the kitchen during a dinner party, where many secrets and lies are exposed. Somehow, they managed it in one long shot. “You can’t do a scene like that without every single person knowing exactly what they’re doing at the right time. It’s almost like a play,” she explained. “You’ve got to know the lines inside out, know every bit of the rhythm of it. And we did it all in one go, which was a first for me. There’s a bit towards the end of the party scene where I break down, and that was genuine, because I was like, ‘I’ve done it’.”
Aidan Turner plays dashing TV journalist Declan O'Hara, who is trying to balance the demands of work with his needy wife Maud, played by Victoria Smurfit, last seen walking out on him. He says that a particularly steamy shower sex scene between Declan and Maud in the opener had been “fun” to film. “Victoria and I are very comfortable with each other. We’ve worked together quite intimately since the first series and we just clicked straight away – it might be the Irish thing,” he said.
Character Development
Bella McClean, who plays lovelorn Taggie O'Hara, will spend this whole series wondering if falling for Rupert was a good idea. But the actress says there are big changes ahead for the character. “She really becomes a woman this season, and it’s wonderful,” Bella declares. “I got to dance. Taggie got to let herself go twice and dance very wildly. It was so wonderful to play, because she deserves it. It felt really well-earned. Those two scenes were big, monumental shifts in her as a person – real coming-of-age moments.”
Rupert is having to juggle an awful lot this time with both a franchise bid and an election looming, not to mention the different women in his life. Actor Alex Hassell says that called for a lot of different looks. “Rupert goes on loads of adventures and has different guises – I get to emulate James Bond, Indiana Jones and Steve McQueen.”
So even if you have read all of Jilly's world-renowned books, do not think that you already know exactly what is coming. Showrunner Dominic teased: “We’re going to throw some big curveballs that people will not be expecting.”
Rivals 2 launches on Disney+ on May 15.
