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Rivals Disney+

Don’t Miss ‘Rivals’ Premiere Date for Show Based on Jilly Cooper’s ‘Rutshire Chronicles’ Books

Rivals, the series adaption of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel, is set to premiere on Friday, October 18, and we have all of the information you need surrounding the upcoming eight-part series!

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The series is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles, which first released in 1985, with the first book Riders. Rivals, which was the second book in the chronicles, is set in 1986 and follows the rivalry between Rupert Campbell-Black, an Olympic horse-rider, and Conservative MP, and Lord Tony Baddingham, the controller of a fictional regional TV station called Corinium. Baddingham is desperate to keep his franchise and hires Irish talk show star Declan O’Hara and Cameron Cook, a brash executive, to produce Declan’s program. However, Declan and Cameron highly dislike each other, which throws a lot of controversy into the mix.

Where Can I Stream Rivals?

Rivals is set to hit streaming services on Friday, October 18. International fans can watch the series on Disney+ while the United States can catch new episodes on Hulu on the same day.

Who Stars in Rivals the Series?

  • Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black
  • David Tennant as Tony Baddingham
  • Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara
  • Victoria Smurfit as Maud O’Hara
  • Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones
  • Bella Maclean as Taggie O
  • Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton
  • Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook
  • Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker

The Trailer for Rivals the Series

“It’s 1986! You can have whatever you want!” a woman yells at the beginning of the video, which perfectly captures everything this new series has to offer in an upbeat, exciting 2-minute-long trailer. It goes into slight detail about the characters, involving their families and everything they stand for.

The trailer also perfectly encapsulates the love interests and triangles, more like tangled webs, that evolve throughout the series. It even dives into the fact that the wealthy are willing to do anything to get what they want. Phew! That was a whirlwind of a trailer, and we can’t wait to see what will unfold!

“I’m gonna destroy you,” Tony says at the end of the trailer, to which Rupert responds, “Have to try harder than that if you want to beat me.” Dun dun dun…

Where Can I Purchase the Rutshire Chronicles books?

If you would like to read the book before you watch the new series, you can purchase Rivals on Amazon. The entire Rutshire Chronicles is also available to purchase on Amazon, which consists of 11 books. But, if you’d prefer to jump right into the series, mark your calendars and get your Hulu subscription ready for Friday, October 18!


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Author
Image of Nicole Wert
Nicole Wert
Nicole Wert is a freelance writer for The Escapist. She has previously covered entertainment and news for Parade, The U.S. Sun, Young Hollywood, and AwesomenessTV. She is your go-to person for any celebrity news updates and is always ready to give you a deep dive into anything relating to Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, or Harry Styles. When she’s not digging into the latest celebrity news, you can find Nicole playing her guitar and writing music.