Rivals season 2 cast talk power, passion & what’s next for Rutshire
by Explore Disney+ Contributor
14 May 2026
With emotions running high and ambitions colliding, every relationship grows more complicated this season
Get ready to return to Rutshire, as the balance of power is beginning to shift. Rivals returns for its second season, where familiar relationships grow more complicated and new arrivals bring fresh tension. Speaking from the set, the cast of Rivals shares what to expect from season 2, and why the drama between Corinium and Venturer is about to enter a dangerous new phase.
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Where the characters are as season 2 begins
Season 2 picks up in the immediate aftermath of everything that came before, with many of the central characters already navigating the consequences from season 1.
Rupert, Tony & the battle for control
For Rupert Campbell‑Black, that means attempting to move forward while still carrying the weight of his past. As Executive Producer Laura Wade explains, Rupert is “just a guy trying to be good, but with thirty-seven years of not being good behind him.”
When asked about stepping back into Rupert’s world as though you’re the most desired man in the country for most women, as Jilly Cooper put it, Alex Hassell said “everyone is constantly told to ogle me and go all giddy, and we intentionally lean into that”. After feeling ‘very insecure about it in the first season’, Alex says he felt “much more at ease going into the second season”.
Across the rivalry, Lord Tony Baddingham enters the new season changed, but not softened. Discussing where Tony is at the start of season 2, David Tennant comments that “he’s had a bit of a knock on the head, which could have sent him in several directions. If anything, I think it just motivates him to go harder and faster.” But he may not be quite the same.
“He’s a little bit vulnerable when we first meet him” David says, “but it makes him more determined to win, to succeed. The safety wheels are slightly off for Tony, if they were ever there at all,” says Tennant.
Declan, Cameron & shifting priorities
Meanwhile, Declan O’Hara finds himself caught between professional opportunity and personal fallout. At the end of season 1, his company had been given the chance to bid for the television franchise, but at the same time his marriage was under strain.
“We left him at a pretty precarious moment”, with Declan “caught between being proud of the work the company has done” and feeling “devastated that his family is dismantling in front of his eyes,” says Aidan Turner.
Nafessa Williams, who plays Cameron Cook, says there’s lots for fans to look forward to in season 2.
“It’s bigger, it’s sexier, it’s richer” she says. “I’m also excited for people to see a different side to Cameron. Without saying too much, we don’t see her start season 2 in the same way.”
Love, loyalty & complicated relationships
As the story develops, season 2’s relationships move into more complex territory, which is something the cast were keen to explore.
Lizzie & Freddie’s relationship evolves
Katherine Parkinson, who plays Lizzie Vereker, describes Lizzie’s storyline as focusing on “the connection but also the difficulty of the reality of an affair”, capturing both its emotional pull and its challenges.
Danny Dyer, who plays Freddie Jones, echoed that, saying the season explores “the complications of two people who are madly in love but married with children to other people.” He went on to say that “Lizzie is arguably the moral compass of the show. She’s so lovely and cute and clever, so the idea of someone sweeping her off her feet, that being Freddie, was always going to be loved.”
Need a Rivals recap before season 2? Here’s a quick one
Catch up on the key events of season 1 before diving into the next chapter of Rivals in our handy recap.
New arrivals shake up Rutshire
Season 2 introduces characters who quickly shift the dynamics in Rutshire, with Rupert Everett joining the cast as Malise Gordon, alongside Hayley Atwell as Helen Gordon.
Rupert Everett said his character Malise is “the only person to whom Rupert Campbell‑Black really listens, or could possibly control him in any sense”.
Hayley Atwell’s character Helen, who is married to Malise, adds another layer of tension, with Atwell explaining that her frustration lies in “how his carelessness makes him a really awful father, and that impacts [Helen’s] life.”
Together, these new arrivals bring fresh perspectives into Rutshire, and make sure existing relationships don’t stay comfortable for long.
