Jilly Cooper‘s Rivals have nearly entered the building. Disney+ has unveiled a trailer and first looks for the adaptation that will launch later this year starring David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer. Scroll down for some more pics
Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 when a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: Ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (Tennant), controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television. The series is set to debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.
Nine characters are introduced via the wave of images including Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack), Caitlin O’Hara (Catriona Chandler), James Vereker (Oliver Chris), Freddie Jones (Dyer), Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones), Valerie Jones (Lisa McGrillis), Bas Baddingham (Luke Pasqualino), Lady Monica Baddingham (Claire Rushbrook) and Maud O’Hara (Victoria Smurfit).
The series is produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins’ (A Very English Scandal) indie Happy Prince, and Treadwell-Collins is also EPing and writing with Laura Wade. Alexander Lamb is also EP. Lead director is Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso), who also serves as executive producer on Episodes 1 to 3. Eliza Mellor (Poldark) serves as series producer. In addition to Treadwell-Collins and Wade, the series writers room also includes Sophie Goodhart (The Baby, Sex Education), Marek Horn, Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor (The Accidental Husband), Dare Aiyegbayo (The Dumping Ground, EastEnders), Kefi Chadwick (Looted, Avoidance), Tray Agyeman, and Sorcha Kurien Walsh (The Pink Pill).