New Rivals trailer promises more drama, romance and polo

A trailer for the hotly anticipated new series of Rivals has been released, showing the characters returning for more ruthless plotting, backstabbing – and flirting.

David Tennant returns as TV boss Lord Tony Baddingham, who is on a mission to destroy a rival television company founded by Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Declan O’Hara (Aiden Turner).

The trailer also shows Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook and Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara, who were embroiled in a love triangle with Campbell-Black in the first series.

The budding romance between Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer’s characters appears set to continue, with a clip showing the pair – both married to other people – looking close.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Dyer’s character Freddie Jones tells Parkinson’s Lizzie Vereker.

The trailer opens with Vereker’s voice saying: “People say that life isn’t a fairy tale. That happy ever after doesn’t exist.

“But what if you just haven’t found the person who will give you your happy ending?”

The trailer also shows a glimpse of the residents of Rutshire’s favourite sport, polo, with the lead male characters saddled up ready to play a match.

The second series sees the addition of guest stars Hayley Atwell, as Helen Gordon, Campbell-Black’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, and Rupert Everett as her husband Malise Gordon, Campbell-Black’s former showjumping coach and mentor.

The Disney+ show is based on the best-selling novel written by Dame Jilly Cooper, who died in October, aged 88, after suffering injuries in a fall.

The Hulu Original series will roll out in two six-episode batches, beginning with a three-episode premiere on May 15, followed by the second batch later this year.