Press.disney.co.uk
LONDON, UK (20, April) - Today, Disney+ announced the return of “Rivals: The Official Podcast” ahead of the second series of the International Emmy® and BAFTA® Award winning Hulu Original series, “Rivals,” returning to Disney+ on 15th May.
Hosted by journalist, broadcaster and Rivals superfan Pandora Sykes, the visual Podcast will feature a line up of cast, creators and celebrity fans of the series, offering exclusive access to the stories behind the series.
Speaking ahead of launch, Pandora says, “It’s such a joy to be back hosting the Rivals Podcast! I cannot wait to dive back into the fabulous and naughty world of Rutshire. Join me on the podcast for all the behind-the-scenes gossip and action from the new season of Rivals, with the fantastic cast and creatives who made it happen.”
Across the podcast, viewers and listeners can expect to delve deeper into each episode of “Rivals” S2, as guests discuss the wonderful world of Dame Jilly Cooper, character arcs, the joys and challenges of bringing 1980s television and naughtiness to life, as well as sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes secrets.
Guests include David Tennant (‘Doctor Who’, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’) as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell (‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, ‘The Boys’) as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner (‘Poldark’, ‘The Hobbit Trilogy’) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams (‘Black Lightning’, ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody’) as Cameron Cook, Bella Maclean (‘Sex Education’, ‘London Tide’) as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson (‘Humans’, ‘Here We Go’) as Lizzie Vereker, Danny Dyer (‘EastEnders', ‘The Football Factory’) as Freddie Jones, Victoria Smurfit (‘Bloodlands’, ‘Once Upon A Time’) as Maud O’Hara, Claire Rushbrook (‘Sherwood’, ‘Ali and Ava’) as Lady Monica Baddingham, Oliver Chris (‘The Crown’, ‘Trying’) as James Vereker, Lisa McGrillis (‘Maternal’, ‘Mum’) as Valerie Jones, Emily Atack (‘The Emily Atack Show’, ‘The Inbetweeners’) as Sarah Stratton, Rufus Jones (‘W1A’, ‘Home’) as Paul Stratton, Luca Pasqualino (‘The Musketeers’, ‘Shantaram’) as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham, Annabel Scholey (‘The Split’) as Beattie Johnson and Gary Lamont (‘Boiling Point’, ‘Outlander’) as Charles Fairburn.
Alongside creators and executive producers Dominic Treadwell-Collins (‘A Very English Scandal’, ‘Holding’, ‘EastEnders’) Alexander Lamb (‘Ackley Bridge’, ‘The Bay’, ‘We Hunt Together’), Felicity Blunt, Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (‘The Riot Club’) and director Elliot Hegarty (‘Cheaters’, ‘Ted Lasso’).
“Rivals: The Official Podcast” produced by Platform Media (creators of The Traitors: Uncloaked), promises behind-the-scenes insight, humour, nostalgia and insider access, perfect for fans, old and new, to dive deeper into the world of Rivals.
The podcast will launch on Disney+ and wherever you get your podcasts, in line with the new season, on 15th May. New episodes will roll out through to the finale.
The Hulu Original series, made by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios returns in two six-episode batches, the first will debut on Disney+ on the 15th May with a three-episode premiere and the second batch will follow later in the year on Disney+ in the UK.
OFFICIAL RIVALS TEASER TRAILER: HERE
OFFICIAL RIVALS TEASER POSTER: HERE
SEASON TWO FIRST LOOKS: HERE
-ENDS-
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ABOUT PLATFORM MEDIA
Platform Media is the home of unmissable podcasts and shows spanning entertainment, sports, comedy and beyond, as well as an audience network that drives award-winning campaigns and formats. Working with the world’s biggest brands, talent, broadcasters and rights holders, the company delivers production, media, marketing and monetisation all under one roof. Alongside original hit shows starring national treasures including Graham Norton, Romesh Ranganathan and more, Platform Media is also driving innovation in the TV space, producing visualised companion shows for Netflix, Disney+ and the BBC on hit global IP including Wednesday, The Traitors and Rivals.
ABOUT HAPPY PRINCE
Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, is a drama label launched in 2019 by award-winning producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins. Placing the viewer squarely at the centre of all that they do, the label’s ambition is to tell quality authentic, intelligent and heartfelt stories that emotionally resonate with a broad audience. Its current slate includes; Jim Cartwright's award-winning play The Rise & Fall of Little Voice with Miramax TV, Daughter for ITV and ITVX, written by BAFTA and RTS award-winning writer Sarah Phelps and Wideacre, the international bestselling novel from Philippa Gregory, the acclaimed author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen while previous shows include the adaptation of Graham Norton’s novel Holding and modern love story You & Me for ITVX and of course RIVALS for Disney+ and Hulu.
Prior to Happy Prince, Treadwell-Collins was Head of Television at Blueprint Pictures, where he was Executive Producer for the Golden Globe, Emmy, Critics Choice, Rose D'Or, RTS and BAFTA-winning series A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears. Before this he was Executive Producer of EastEnders, bringing Danny Dyer and his family into the Queen Vic and creating the show’s iconic ‘Who Killed Lucy?’ storyline with Alex Lamb, which climaxed after a year with a week of live episodes, reaching over 20 million viewers and winning BAFTA, RTS, NTA, MIND, British Soap and Attitude awards. Dominic also exec produced and wrote the pilot episode for series one of RIVALS.
Alexander Lamb joined Happy Prince in 2021 and works as Executive Producer across the slate, working closely with Treadwell-Collins. In 2019 Lamb produced the second series of ITV ratings smash The Bay for Tall Story Pictures part of ITV Studios before joining BBC Studios as Creative Executive where he oversaw a number of developments and was Executive Producer on Alibi’s We Hunt Together. Before this he produced 2 series of celebrated Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge for The Forge, and was Story Producer for EastEnders, overseeing the BAFTA-winning “Who Killed Lucy” plots as well as creating some of EastEnders' most enduring and award-winning characters and storylines with Dominic over a period of fifteen years. He has also worked on Emmerdale, Waterloo Road and T4. More recently Alex exec produced YOU & ME for ITV and RIVALS for Disney+ and Hulu.
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