Jilly Cooper’s ‘Rivals’: Power Packed British Cast Join David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer on Disney+ Show (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran

Streamer Disney+ has revealed a power packed British cast who will join the previously announced David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer on the series adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s steamy novel “Rivals.”

Joining the eight-part saga are Annabel Scholey (“The Split”), Maggie Steed (“Ten Percent”), David Calder (“Motherland”), Antony Byrne (‘”The Witcher”), Denise Black (“Queer as Folk”), Bryony Hannah (“Call The Midwife”), Olivia Poulet (“Back”) and Brendan Patricks (“Downton Abbey”).

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“Rivals” is part of Cooper’s bestselling “Rutshire Chronicles,” set in affluent 1980s England where two powerful men and neigbors – Olympian turned politician Rupert Campbell-Black and television exec Tony Baddingham – have a longstanding rivalry that finally comes to a head.

Cast of Disney+ series “Rivals” (courtesy of Disney+)
Cast of Disney+ series “Rivals” (courtesy of Disney+)

Scholey plays Beattie Johnson, a ruthless Fleet Street journalist who will do anything for a story. Steed plays Lady Gosling, the steely no-nonsense chair of Independent Broadcasters Association. Calder plays Lady Gosling’s dogmatic right-hand man, Fergus Penney, Hannah Deirdre Kilpatrick, a TV researcher and Byrne plays Ginger Baines, Tony’s unscrupulous enforcer. Black plays Joyce Madden, Tony’s pathologically loyal secretary, with the Hampshires being played by Poulet as Hermione Hampshire and Patricks as Henry Hampshire.

Dee Koppang O’Leary (Courtesy of Disney+)
Dee Koppang O’Leary (Courtesy of Disney+)

Gary Lamont (“Boiling Point“) joins the cast as Charles Fairburn, a dryly funny TV controller; Hubert Burton (“Living“) plays Gerald Middleton, Rupert’s besotted personal aide; and Gabriel Tierney (“Enola Holmes 2”) is Patrick O’Hara, an aspiring playwright. Lara Peake (“Mood”) plays Daysee Butler a pretty but ditsy PA, while Milo Callaghan (“FBI International”) is Seb Burrows, a clean-cut young producer pretending to know what he’s doing. Louis Landau also joins as Tony and Monica Baddingham’s teenage son Archie.

The drama is being produced by Happy Prince, which is part of ITV Studios. Filming is currently underway in the U.K. The lead director is BAFTA-nominated Elliot Hegarty (“Ted Lasso”), ‘’Cheaters’’, ‘’Trying’’), who also serves as executive producer on episodes 1-4. Dee Koppang O’Leary (“The Crown”) Alexandra Brodski (“Somewhere Boy”) have come on board to direct episodes.

Alexandra Brodski (Courtesy of Disney+)
Alexandra Brodski (Courtesy of Disney+)

The series is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (“A Very English Scandal”), Alexander Lamb (“The Bay”), Felicity Blunt, Laura Wade, Jilly Cooper and director of scripted content for Disney+ EMEA, Lee Mason. Eliza Mellor (“The Midwich Cuckoos”) serves as series producer.

The series is written by Treadwell-Collins with Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade (“The Riot Club”).

The writing room includes Sophie Goodhart (‘Sex Education’), Marek Horn, Mimi Hare & Clare Naylor (‘The Accidental Husband’), Dare Aiyegbayo (‘The Dumping Ground’), Kefi Chadwick (‘Looted’), Tray Agyeman, and Sorcha Kurien Walsh (‘The Pink Pill’).

Kelly Valentine Hendry (‘Bridgerton’) cast the series.

The U.K. original show will premiere on Disney+ in EMEA.

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