When Disney+ unleashed Rivals in October 2024, it instantly transported viewers into the scandalous, big-haired, and bare-bottomed world of Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles. Set in the fictional Cotswolds county during the mid-1980s, the series stars David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, and Danny Dyer in a tale of class warfare, television bids, and torrid affairs. With Season 2 premiering on May 15, here's everything you need to remember about Corinium, Venturer, and who's sleeping with whom.
The Feud That Fuels Everything
At the heart of Rivals is the lifelong hatred between Rupert Campbell-Black (Hassell) and Tony, Lord Baddingham (Tennant). Rupert is a former Olympic showjumper turned Conservative politician—charming, handsome, and notoriously promiscuous. Tony, the ruthless Managing Director of Corinium Television, clawed his way up from modest beginnings and married into old money. Their school days rivalry (only one went to Harrow) spills into the professional arena, with Tony using his TV empire to try and destroy Rupert's reputation.
Into this chaos steps Declan O'Hara (Turner), a fiery Irish journalist poached from the BBC by Tony, who promises him creative freedom. Declan moves his family from London, but his wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit) resents the countryside exile. Initially, Declan despises Rupert after a drunken groping incident involving his daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean). Tony sees an opening and urges Declan to humiliate Rupert on live TV. But Taggie quietly influences both men to back down, and they slowly become allies against Tony.
The fourth key player is Freddie Jones (Dyer), a self-made electronics tycoon whose wealth can't buy him acceptance from the Rutshire elite. Tony tries to recruit Freddie to the Corinium board but sabotages himself by mocking Freddie and his wife Valerie (Lisa McGrillis) behind their backs. When Freddie overhears the ridicule, he rejects Tony's offer and later joins Rupert and Declan to launch a rival production company, Venturer.
The Battle for Television Supremacy
While the show is packed with affairs and scandals, the central plot is the fight for control of regional television. Corinium's hold on the Central South West gives Tony enormous influence. To strengthen his position, he recruits American producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), and the two become entangled in a toxic affair. Rupert later seduces Cameron during a TV awards trip to Spain and steals Corinium's bid documents from her hotel room. When he confesses, Declan and Freddie are horrified, and they burn the documents without reading them. Tony taunts Venturer for lacking broadcasting experience, so Rupert persuades Cameron to double-cross and become Venturer's Controller of Programming.
The rivalry climaxes at a public presentation before the Independent Broadcasting Authority. Tony tries to sway the audience by announcing a new show fronted by Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack) and gossip journalist Beattie Johnson (Annabel Scholey), blindsiding Cameron. Declan counters with a passionate speech about television as the modern fireplace that brings communities together. Venturer wins the franchise bid, shifting the power balance heading into Season 2.
Forbidden Romances and Scandalous Affairs
If the TV war drives the plot, the relationships provide the juicy padding. The biggest will-they-won't-they is between Taggie and Rupert. Taggie, the overlooked middle daughter of Declan and Maud, is a shy 20-year-old with dyslexia who dreams of starting a catering business. She's constantly put down by her family but finds an unexpected connection with the notorious womanizer. Meanwhile, Tony's affair with Cameron turns controlling and abusive, and Rupert's seduction of Cameron adds another layer to the feud.
Other entanglements include Sarah Stratton's affair with a local MP, and the Joneses' struggle to fit in with the snobbish aristocracy. The series also features a memorable shooting party where Tony and Sarah perform a crass skit mocking the Joneses—a moment that seals Freddie's decision to oppose Tony.
With Season 2 on the horizon, the stage is set for more outrageous twists. Will Venturer thrive? Can Taggie and Rupert find happiness? And what new scandals await in Rutshire? For now, catch up on the bonkbuster that has everyone talking, and don't miss the return of this raunchy 80s drama on Disney+.
