David Tennant and Aidan Turner return in first look at second series of Rivals

David Tennant strides away from a helicopter in first-look pictures from the upcoming second series of Rivals.

The images are the first released since the death of Dame Jilly Cooper, who wrote book the series is based on.

Doctor Who star Tennant plays TV mogul Lord Tony Baddingham in the series. Another photo shows Alex Hassell as lothario Rupert Campbell-Black and Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara getting close in a pantry.

Another picture shows Poldark star Aidan Turner return as TV journalist Declan O’Hara, as he stands in front of a blue camper van, while a further image shows the return of Nafessa Williams as producer Cameron Cook.

Filming on the second series began in May and the show will return with an extended 12-episode second series in 2026.

Set in the 1980s, with the backdrop of the Cotswolds countryside, the award-winning Disney+ drama follows the high-stakes world of British television as  careers, marriages and reputations hang by a thread when professional and personal lives collide.

Based on the best-selling novel by Dame Jilly, the second series will see Lord Baddingham ready to stop at nothing to keep his TV company Corinium’s empire unrivalled.

Dame Jilly died in October at the age of 88 after sustaining a fatal head injury during a fall at her Gloucestershire home.

Tributes from the cast of Rivals poured in after the news of her death broke, with Hassell describing Dame Jilly as a “magical woman” who changed his life.

His co-star, Emily Atack, who portrays Sarah Stratton in the series, said: “To be taken into your world was the hugest honour and a once-in-a-lifetime privilege. I cannot begin to explain how much we will miss you. Thank you for letting us into Jilly World, there really is no place like it.”

Victoria Smurfit, known for playing Maud O’Hara, also paid tribute and said: “Our divine Queen has gone to the sky.

“Her words will live forever but the way she made you feel when in her company was human sunshine.”

Rivals will return to Disney+ in 2026.