David Tennant and Aidan Turner are set to star in a highly-anticipated new drama that promises to be steamy, scandalous and everything in between. Launching later this month, Rivals is based on the novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and is chock-full of ‘romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit’.
According to the official synopsis, the eight-part series is set against the backdrop of the drama, excess and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, plunging headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986, where hair-dos are big and ambitions are even bigger. Deals are brokered in boardrooms, as well as bedrooms, but nobody can be sure who will come out on top with every man and woman out only for themselves.
Every binge-worthy episode of Rivals will premiere on October 18 on Disney+, which is available from £4.99 a month. Members can save £15.98 by paying for a year upfront on the Standard plan for £79.90, locking in the current rate before it increases on October 17.
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Signing up for the annual plan before the deadline gives members 12 months for the price of 10 and secures the subscription for a whole year. For those looking for a bigger saving, a 12-month subscription to the Premium plan now costs £109.90 – saving £21.98 compared to paying monthly – and includes higher video quality up to 4K UHD and HDR, plus the ability to stream on four devices simultaneously.
Disney+ now costs as little as £4.99 a month, but members can get 12 months for the price of 10 by paying for a year upfront on the ad-free Standard or Premium plans.
Disney+ is the only place to stream hit shows like The Bear and Shōgun, plus blockbuster franchises like Star Wars and Marvel.
From £4.99
Disney+The star-studded cast of Rivals includes The Boys actor Alex Hassell as the charming ex-Olympian and MP Rupert Campbell-Black, with Tennant taking on the role of Lord Tony Baddingham, the head of Corinium Television and Rupert’s ruthlessly ambitious and self-centred rival. They are joined by Poldark’s Turner, who plays journalist and TV presenter Declan O’Hara, finding himself in the middle of the long-standing rivalry between Rupert and Tony.
Speaking to Radio Times, Turner labelled the series as ‘bold, naughty’ and ‘a lot of fun’. He said: “It’s a lot of fun. I went to a screening last week [and] people loved it. It’s bold and it’s naughty and it’s a lot of fun.”
Regarding his experience working with Doctor Who’s Tennant, he added: “It was great, David’s brilliant – he’s a real pro. It was a lot of fun to do.”
The full-length trailer for the show offers viewers a sneak peek at the influential figures in the entertainment industry as they hunt, party, play naked tennis and do whatever it takes to rise to the top. Other stars in the series include Bella Maclean, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer, with Katherine Parkinson, Nafessa Williams and Victoria Smurfit rounding out the cast.
Written by A Very English Scandal’s Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade, the series is produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. Elsewhere, Amazon’s Prime Video is preparing to launch a host of unmissable titles this month, including Zendaya’s romantic drama Challengers and the second instalment of Peter Capaldi’s thriller, The Devil’s Hour.
Both titles can be streamed at no cost with an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial, which also provides access to thousands of exclusive deals during Amazon’s Big Deal Days sale.