Things are set to get very steamy as the Disney+ hit show Rivals returns for season two.
Viewers will be transported back to Rutshire, where skinny dipping, shower shenanigans and plenty more scandals are on the cards.
Based on the 1988 novel by the late Dame Jilly Cooper, the raunchy series follows an MP going head-to-head with a TV station owner – though there’s far more to it than just sex and six-packs.
Here’s everything you need to know about the period comedy-drama, including the cast, plot and release date.
What is series two of Rivals about?
In the second season of Rivals, the battle for the Central South West television franchise reaches fever pitch as the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase.
More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham is determined to dismantle his enemies piece by piece, manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.
Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of the Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos.
Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families and long-buried secrets erupt with explosive consequences.
As loyalties are tested, hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory.
Who is in the cast of the second series of Rivals?
Alex Hassell
Hassell is back as former Olympian-turned-Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black – a charming and dangerously charismatic man known for his womanising ways.
The Essex-born actor, 45, is best known for his roles in Locked In, The Boys and His Dark Materials, and will return as the show’s smouldering protagonist.
David Tennant
Tennant returns as ruthless TV executive Tony Baddingham, the Managing Director of Corinium Television.
The Scottish actor, 55, is best known for his lead roles in Doctor Who and Broadchurch, and has also appeared in Good Omens, The Hack and Gracepoint.
Aidan Turner
Turner reprises his role as Declan O’Hara, a talented but flawed Irish journalist.
The actor, 42, first found fame in the BBC series Being Human, before starring as Kíli in The Hobbit film trilogy and later taking the lead role as Ross Poldark in Poldark.
Victoria Smurfit
Smurfit stars once again as Maud O’Hara, a glamorous former actress turned housewife married to Declan.
The Irish actress, 52, rose to prominence on British television starring as Roisin Connor in Trial and Retribution, before landing major roles in Dracula and Once Upon a Time.
Nafessa Williams
Williams returns to screens as Cameron Cook, an ambitious TV producer recruited to help reshape Corinium Television.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, the actress, 36, had never visited Britain before being cast in Rivals and is expected to show a new side to Cameron in the second series.
The cast of Rivals also includes:
- Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton (The Inbetweeners, The Rumours, Singletown)
- Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones (The Football Factory, EastEnders, Marching Powder)
- Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker (The IT Crowd, Here We Go, Significant Other)
- Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara (Sex Education, Dragged Up, La La Means I Love You)
- Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham (Secrets & Lies, My Mad Fat Diary, Ali & Ava)
- Oliver Chris as James Vereker (Bluestone 42, Green Wing, White Widow)
- Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones (Mum, Maternal, The Pass)
- Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton (Camping, Hunderby, Home)
- Luca Pasqualino as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham (The Musketeers, Our Girl, Snatch)
- Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O’Hara (Wild Cherry, The Wives, Enola Holmes 2)
- Annabel Scholey as Beattie Johnson (Being Human, Dead and Buried, The Serial Killer’s Wife)
- Gary Lamont as Charles Fairburn (River City, Boiling Point, My Old School)
- Hubert Burton as Gerald Middleton (Living, Their Finest, The Inheritance)
- Gabriel Tierney as Patrick O’Hara (Enola Holmes 2, The Winter King, Endeavour)
- Lara Peake as Daysee Butler (Born to Kill, Mood, How to Have Sex)
- Bryony Hannah as Dierdre Kilpatrick (Call the Midwife, The Last Duel, Talamasca: The Secret Order)
- Hayley Atwell as Helen Gordon (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Duchess, Mission: Impossible)
- Rupert Everett as Malise Gordon (Another Country, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Happy Prince)
Where is Rivals filmed?
The second series of the star-studded Disney+ drama was filmed across Wiltshire and other locations in the south west of England.
Extensive shooting took place in Corsham over recent years, while cast members were also spotted filming in the seaside town of Clevedon.
Production additionally used Neston Park – a Grade II*-listed mansion – and Chavenage House, an Elizabethan manor set in the Cotswolds near Tetbury.
When will Rivals season 2 be released on Disney+?
The second season of Rivals will arrive on Disney+ on Friday 15 May with a three-episode launch.
A further three episodes will then be released weekly following the premiere.
Viewers can expect a total of 12 episodes in season two.
Disney+ has yet to confirm the premiere date for the second batch of episodes, though it is expected to arrive later this year.