Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey stars join forces for new David Tennant drama
Call the Midwife star Bryony Hannah and Downton Abbey actor Brendan Patricks have joined the star-studded cast of Disney +'s upcoming drama series, Rivals.
David Tennant stars in the eight-parter, which is an adaptation of Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel of the same name – the second book in the popular author's Rutshire Chronicles.
New confirmed cast members also include The Split actress Annabel Scholey, Ten Percent's Maggie Steed, Motherland actor David Calder and The Witcher's Antony Byrne.
They join the previously confirmed line-up of Poldark's Aidan Turner, The Boys star Alex Hassell and EastEnders' Danny Dyer.
The series is set against the backdrop of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England and follows the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.
The story takes place in the fictional county of Rutshire, where the long-standing rivalry between two powerful men and neighbours is about to come to a head.
Alex Hassel plays Olympian turned politician Rupert Campbell-Black, while David Tennant plays television executive Lord Tony Baddingham. The pair lock horns over the future of Corinium Television, which is owned by Tony.
Aidan Turner plays TV presenter Declan O'Hara, who was poached by Tony from the BBC. When Tony refuses to deliver on his promises, a furious Declan seeks revenge.
Speaking about the initial cast announcement in March, author Jilly, who is also an executive producer on the show, 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!"
The new series is set to bring a "2020s lens to the 1980s", "offering a raw exploration of a complicated moment in British history when class, race, sex, wealth, and sexual liberation meant that, for the very privileged few, there were no limits to what they could achieve".
The drama is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who was an executive producer on A Very English Scandal and EastEnders, alongside Olivier award winner Laura Wade, who penned the screenplay for the 2014 film The Riot Club.
Filming for the series, which is being produced by ITV Studios' Happy Prince, is currently underway in the UK, with BAFTA-nominated Elliot Hegarty at the helm as director.
Dominic Treadwell-Collins, executive producer at Happy Prince, said: "Jilly's iconic novels' razor-sharp observations on class, sex, love and what it means to be British resonate even more today than when Jilly wrote them in the 1980s.
"I'm so excited to bring Rivals to the screen, entertain fans of the beloved Cooperverse and introduce a whole new generation to the sweeping love stories, social satire and biting wit of Rutshire."
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