Scottish actor David Tennant is seen donning tweed and a flat cap with a rifle slung over his shoulder, while British actor Alex Hassell shows off a bare chest in an unbuttoned shirt while walking six dogs in first-look pictures from the TV adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rivals novel.
Published in 1988, Rivals is part of Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles series and has been adapted into an eight-part series of the same name to debut on streaming service Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.
It will explore the cutthroat world of independent British television in 1986 as a long-standing rivalry between two of fictional Rutshire county’s most powerful men is on the cusp of boiling over.
The Boys star Hassell plays notorious lothario Rupert Campbell-Black as the former Olympian, MP and womaniser locks horns with neighbour Tony Baddingham, controller of the independent Corinium Television franchise, who is played by Doctor Who star Tennant.
As the rivalry intensifies, secrets, alliances and snatched liaisons see wives, lovers, colleagues, friends and families drawn into their battle.
Poldark star Aidan Turner will play TV presenter Declan O’Hara, who vows to wage revenge against Tony, and is also seen in character for the first time in the pictures.
The adaptation will also feature Victoria Smurfit as Declan’s “fickle wife” and former actress Maud O’Hara; while Sex Education’s Bella Maclean will play their “strong-willed” elder daughter Taggie, who keeps an eye on her wilder sister Caitlin played by Catriona Chandler.
Taggie, who is also described as being an “unexpected temptation for Rupert”, is pictured sitting on a couch with a dog next to her.
The new images show US actress Nafessa Williams, who plays American TV executive Cameron Cook who is brought in to produce Declan’s new prime-time talk show, in a red suit.
Also among the pictures released is Humans star Katherine Parkinson, who plays romantic novelist Lizzie Vereker, a woman “suffering from a distinct lack of romance in her life”.
Other names in the Rivals cast include Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, Rufus Jones, Luke Pasqualino, Claire Rushbrook, Lisa McGrillis and Oliver Chris.