Disney+ has released official first look character stills for the second season of the award-winning drama Rivals, set to return in 2026. The images feature returning stars including David Tennant and Aidan Turner, amid ongoing filming in the UK. Based on Jilly Cooper's novel, the season promises intensified power struggles in the world of 1980s British television.
Disney+ announced the first look images on December 4, 2025, from London, UK, highlighting key characters from the Emmy and BAFTA-winning series Rivals. The show, adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper's best-selling novel in her Rutshire Chronicles, follows the glamorous yet cutthroat landscape of 1980s British TV production in the Cotswolds countryside.
Key Cast and Images
The stills showcase returning cast members: David Tennant as the vengeful 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. Images depict Tennant's character stepping away from a helicopter, Williams in a meeting, Turner near a camper van, and a secretive moment between Maclean and Hassell's characters in a pantry. This builds on season one's cliffhanger, where Baddingham was attacked by Cook, setting up themes of revenge and unraveling loyalties.
New cast additions include Rupert Everett as Malise Gordon, Hayley Atwell as Helen Gordon, and supporting roles by Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt, and Jonny Weldon.
Production Details
Currently filming in the UK, season two is produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. Executive producers include Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty, Laura Wade, Jilly Cooper, and Disney+'s Jonny Richards. Writers are Treadwell-Collins, Wade, Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, and Dare Aiyegbayo. Directors: Elliot Hegarty, Jamie J Johnson, and Dee Koppang O’Leary. The series was commissioned by Lee Mason, Executive Director of Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA.
Season two teases 'even more wit, desire, and jaw-dropping twists,' with careers, marriages, and reputations at stake. All episodes of season one are streaming now on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the US. No specific premiere date within 2026 has been confirmed.