Rivals Season 2 Promises More Scandal, Glamour & Intrigue
16 May 2026
Learn all about the latest season of the award-winning show, now streaming on Disney+, including the cast, episode details, and more
It seems like nobody in Rutshire has learned a thing, which is great news for Rivals fans. Tensions are higher than ever and secrets keep spilling out into the open. Watch the Season 2 trailer, meet the new and returning cast, and find out how to stream. Is the fight between Corinium and Venturer coming to an end, or has it only just begun?
Watch The Rivals Season 2 Official Trailer
Rivals Season 2 Is Now Streaming
What is Rivals Season 2 about?
Following Venturer’s unexpected success in the local TV world, Lord Baddingham is more determined than ever to bring his enemies down, offering a glimpse into the murky tactics he resorts to now that the gloves are fully off. Meanwhile, the messy love lives of Rutshire’s residents are starting to cause even more problems than usual, and in this glossy 1980s world, private drama has a habit of going public.
Where can you watch Rivals Season 2 in Australia?
Stream it on Disney+ in Australia.
Rivals Season 2 Release Date & Schedule
When did Rivals Season 2 premiere?
The first episodes of the newest season premiered on May 15, 2026.
How many episodes are in Rivals Season 2?
There are 12 episodes in total, split into two six-part batches. Stay tuned for the second batch, premiering later in 2026.
New Rivals Season 2 Cast & Characters
Hayley Atwell As Helen Gordon
About The Character
Rupert Campbell-Black’s aggrieved ex-wife, and the mother of his two children, is back in the picture.
Where You’ve Seen Hayley Atwell Before
She previously played Grace in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, as well as Peggy Carter in Marvel’s Agent Carter and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Rupert Everett As Malise Gordon
About The Character
Helen’s husband and Campbell-Black’s former show-jumping coach and mentor arrives on the scene, and it doesn’t spell good news for Malise.
Where You’ve Seen Rupert Everett Before
His aristocratic delivery is hard to miss in Napoleon and My Policeman. He also voiced Prince Charming in Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, and appeared in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
More New Cast Members
Other guest stars heading to Rutshire include Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt, and Jonny Weldon.
Returning Rivals Cast & Characters
Alex Hassell As Rupert Campbell-Black
About The Character
Retired show-jumper, Conservative Member of Parliament, and Tony Baddingham’s arch-nemesis as a founder of Venturer. After the successful launch of his consortium, his love life somehow gets even more complicated, and he starts to crack under the pressure.
Where You’ve Seen Alex Hassell Before
If Rupert looks familiar, you’ve probably spotted Hassell in The Tragedy of Macbeth or as Translucent in The Boys.
David Tennant As Lord Tony Baddingham
About The Character
A sharp-suited TV executive at the center of the franchise war with Rupert, he protects his power with blackmail and a fiery temper, dragging his enemies’ secrets into the light of day and pressuring his staff into submission.
Where You’ve Seen David Tennant Before
Best known for his role as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, Tennant has also starred in The Thursday Murder Club and voiced Scrooge McDuck in DuckTales.
Aidan Turner As Declan O’Hara
About The Character
Wooed away from the BBC, he arrives at Corinium expecting a golden opportunity, only to resign once he sees the reality of working with Tony Baddingham. He’s a gifted journalist with a short fuse, and the last person you’d want figuring out he’s been played.
Where You’ve Seen Aidan Turner Before
Anyone who remembers Ross in Poldark or Kíli in The Hobbit trilogy will recognize him right away, probably by the eyebrows.
Bella Maclean As Taggie O’Hara
About The Character
Tender-hearted but no pushover, Declan’s middle child is usually the one holding the family together while keeping an eye on her younger sister. She comes across as gentle, though she can be stubborn when it counts.
Where You’ve Seen Bella Maclean Before
She played Jem in Sex Education and Bella Wilfer in the National Theatre’s London Tide.
Nafessa Williams As Cameron Cook
About The Character
The American TV executive Tony brings into Corinium to produce Declan’s talk show, she arrives determined to reach the top of the hierarchy and will do anything to get there. Anyone who mistakes her for an easy mark is in for a miserable surprise.
Where You’ve Seen Nafessa Williams Before
Her previous work includes Thunder in Black Lightning and a role in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
Emily Atack As Sarah Stratton
About The Character
As the deputy prime minister’s new wife, she knows how to turn attention into leverage and never wastes an opportunity. She’s a talented social climber and knows exactly how to use the people around her to get what she wants.
Where You’ve Seen Emily Atack Before
Best known for playing Charlotte in The Inbetweeners UK, Atak has also showcased a more personal side of her comedy in The Emily Atack Show.
Danny Dyer As Freddie Jones
About The Character
A self-made electronics millionaire who doesn’t quite fit into Rutshire’s old-money crowd, he brings refreshingly blunt honesty to a world obsessed with status and fake niceties.
Where You’ve Seen Danny Dyer Before
His unmistakable Cockney accent has barged into living rooms via Eastenders, The Football Factory, and Mr. Bigstuff.
Katherine Parkinson As Lizzie Vereker
About The Character
A romantic novelist who’s been overlooked by her TV-presenter husband for far too long, she’s had enough of being sidelined in her own life. She’s polite about it, but she notices more than people assume.
Where You’ve Seen Katherine Parkinson Before
She has a gift for sounding politely appalled, as seen in Humans and Here We Go.
Luke Pasqualino As Bas Baddingham
About the Character
Tony’s charismatic younger brother runs Cotchester’s hotspot, Bar Sinister. He may have family ties to Corinium, but his loyalty lies elsewhere.
Where You’ve Seen Luke Pasqualino Before
Since getting his start in acting as Freddie in Skins UK, Pasqualino has portrayed d'Artagnan in The Musketeers and Maurizio in Shantaram.
More Returning Cast Members
Gabriel Tierney, Claire Rushbrook, Lisa McGrillis, Rufus Jones, Oliver Chris, Gary Lamont, Catriona Chandler, and Victoria Smurfit are all back for more action in Season 2.
Everything You Need To Know About Rivals
What is Rivals about?
Set in the 1980s Cotswolds, where the local TV industry is serious business, this period drama follows a battle over a regional TV franchise that turns ugly, dragging private feuds into public view. It’s distinctly British, with ambition, illicit affairs, and forbidden love adding even more complexity to the vicious power struggle.
Is Rivals based on a book?
Yes, the show adapts Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name, part of the Rutshire Chronicles.
Is Rivals based on a true story?
No. It begins with Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel and draws inspiration from the excess of the 1980s TV world. While Rivals taps into the social climbing and boardroom spats of its setting, the on-screen events are thankfully fictional.
Where was Rivals filmed?
Production mostly took place in the leafy countryside of southwest England. The Cotswolds provided the grand houses and village streets, while Bristol, a city in the same region, was used for the urban and studio scenes. The small market town of Tetbury also appeared as the fictional Cotchester.
Who is behind Rivals?
Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, produces the show. Executive producers include Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Laura Wade, Dame Jilly Cooper, and Jonny Richards. Episodes are directed by Elliot Hegarty, Dee Koppang O’Leary, Alexandra Brodski, and Jamie Jay Johnson.
What happened in Rivals Season 1?
Spoiler alert: Read no further if you haven’t seen Season 1 yet.
Tony Baddingham and Rupert Campbell-Black spent the first season clawing at each other over the Central South West TV franchise, and the feud sucked in everyone in their orbit. Declan O’Hara arrived as Tony’s star signing, then wound up joining Rupert and Freddie Jones as they launched Venturer against Corinium. In the finale, Venturer won the chance to submit a bid, Maud left for London, Taggie and Rupert finally kissed, and Cameron left Tony bleeding in his office.
Where can you watch Rivals Season 1?
Stream all episodes of the first season on Disney+ in Australia.
Subscription required.
The information in this article is correct as at the time of publication.
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