David Tennant and Danny Dyer are among the British stars set to appear in a new Disney+ series. The streaming service is in the midst of filming the new series, which is based on the raunchy novel Rivals, by Jilly Cooper.
Rivals was originally published in 1988 as one of 10 novels in Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles series. It will be turned into an eight-part series starring Alex Hassall as Rupert Campbell-Black.
Rupert, a former Olympian, MP and womaniser, will lock horns with Tony Baddington, the boss of independent TV franchise Corinium Television, who will be played by Doctor Who star David Tennant.
Other characters include TV presenter Declan O'Hara (played by Poldark star Aiden Turner), electronics millionaire Freddie Jones (played by Danny Dyer), and the deputy prime minister and his wife (played by Rufus Jones and Emily Atack).
The novel's author Jilly Cooper is working as an executive producer on the series with Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt and Laura Wade. The 85-year-old said: “I’m utterly enchanted to be able to announce our all-star line-up for Rivals. Featuring some of the best acting talent that the British Isles has to offer, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better ensemble cast.
“I cannot wait to be on set and see them bring the characters I love so much to life. The minute we met with Alex we knew he’d perfectly embody my all-time hero, the iconic, racy, ruthless and devastatingly handsome Rupert Campbell-Black. Viewers are in for a treat.”
Other actors in the series include:
- Victoria Smurfit
- Bella Maclean
- Catriona Chandler
- Nafessa Williams
- Katherine Parkinson
- Oliver Chris
- Lisa McGRillis
- Claire Rushbrook
- Luke Pasqualino
Disney confirmed that production has commenced with filming taking place in the UK.
