Rivals on Disney+ season 2 official trailer – Today, Disney+ debuted the official trailer for the second season of International Emmy® and BAFTA® Award winning series, “Rivals”, offering an irresistible glimpse of the drama to come ahead of its 15 May launch.
The Hulu Original series will roll out in two six-episode batches, beginning with a three-episode premiere on 15 May, followed by the second batch later this year.
The new trailer spotlights the vengeful return of Lord Tony Baddingham who is on a mission to destroy Rupert Campbell-Black and Declan O’Hara’s rival television company “Venturer”. Viewers are also treated to footage of the residents of Rutshire’s favourite international sport, polo, introducing fan-favourite characters from Dame Jilly Cooper’s beloved Rutshire Chronicles, Sebbie and Dommie Carlisle.
Also, Rivals’ addictive romances are teased with our couples, Rupert and Taggie, Freddie and Lizzie, Declan and Maud, Charles and Gerald, Sarah and Paul all navigating twists and turns in their relationships… But the audience is left asking which of them will get their happy endings as the season returns.
In the second season, 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 rivals piece-by-piece, weaponising scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.
Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences.
As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?
Reprising their iconic roles are David Tennant (‘Doctor Who’, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’) as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell (‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, ‘The Boys’) as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner (‘Poldark’, ‘The Hobbit Trilogy’) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams (‘Black Lightning’, ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody’) as Cameron Cook, Bella Maclean (‘Sex Education’, ‘London Tide’) as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson (‘Humans’, ‘Here We Go’) as Lizzie Vereker, Danny Dyer (‘EastEnders’, ‘The Football Factory’) as Freddie Jones, Victoria Smurfit (‘Bloodlands’, ‘Once Upon A Time’) as Maud O’Hara, Claire Rushbrook (‘Sherwood’, ‘Ali and Ava’) as Lady Monica Baddingham, Oliver Chris (‘The Crown’, ‘Trying’) as James Vereker, Lisa McGrillis (‘Maternal’, ‘Mum’) as Valerie Jones, Emily Atack (‘The Emily Atack Show’, ‘The Inbetweeners’) as Sarah Stratton, Rufus Jones (‘W1A’, ‘Home’) as Paul Stratton, Luca Pasqualino (‘The Musketeers’, ‘Shantaram’) as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham, Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O’Hara (‘Wild Cherry’, ‘Pistol’), Annabel Scholey (‘The Split’) as Beattie Johnson, Gary Lamont (‘Boiling Point’, ‘Outlander’) as Charles Fairburn, Hubert Burton (‘Wolf Hall’, ‘Living’) as Gerald Middleton, Gabriel Tierney (‘Enola Holmes 2’, ‘The Winter King’) as Patrick O’Hara, Lara Peake (‘How To Have Sex’, ‘Reunion’) as Daysee Butler and Bryony Hannah (‘Talamasca’, ‘Call The Midwife’) as Dierdre Kilpatrick.
This season also sees the addition of new guest stars, Hayley Atwell (‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Agent Carter’) as Helen Gordon, Rupert Campbell-Black’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, and Rupert Everett (‘Napoleon’, ‘My Policeman’) as her husband Malise Gordon, Campbell Black’s former show-jumping coach and mentor.
They are also joined by Maxim Ays (‘Boarders’, ‘Sanditon’) as Sebbie Carlisle and Bobby Lockwood (‘Wolfblood, Here We Go’) as Dommie Carlisle.
“Rivals”, made by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (‘A Very English Scandal’, ‘Holding’, ‘EastEnders’), Alexander Lamb (‘Ackley Bridge’, ‘The Bay’, ‘We Hunt Together’), Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (‘The Riot Club’), Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty (‘Cheaters’, ‘Ted Lasso’), “Rivals” author Dame Jilly Cooper and for Disney+, Jonny Richards. Eliza Mellor (‘The Midwich Cuckoos’, ‘Behind Her Eyes’, ‘Poldark’) returns as Series Producer. It is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Laura Wade, Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh and Dare Aiyegbayo, directed by Elliot Hegarty, Jamie J Johnson and Dee Koppang O’Leary. “Rivals” is based on the novel of the same name, part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles. The series was commissioned by VP Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA, Lee Mason.
Robust parental controls ensure that Disney+ remains a suitable viewing experience for everyone in the family. Subscribers can set access limits on mature content and create PIN-protected profiles alongside the already existing Junior Mode profiles to give parents and guardians peace of mind.
All episodes of Season 1 are available to stream now on Disney+.
Rivals on Disney+ – 15 May 2026
Media Release – Disney+
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Rivals on Disney+ season 2 official trailer
