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The critically acclaimed drama, based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s iconic Rutshire Chronicles, launched this October to rave reviews
“Cooper's small-screen bonkbuster well worth the breathless wait” – The Telegraph
“Shiveringly brilliant” – The Spectator
“Packed with sex, excess and fabulous awfulness, this adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 80s bonkbuster starts as gloriously as it means to go on!”- The Guardian
“I wish I could give it six stars.” – Daily Mail
“Counting down the days till Rivals gets the season renewal it rightly deserves…” – Radio Times
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LONDON, U.K. (4 December, 2024) – Today, Disney+ announced their “must-watch” drama “Rivals”, based on the novel by Dame Jilly Cooper, will return for a second season. Following widespread critical acclaim and a dramatic, cliff-hanger ending, Disney+ with Happy Prince (part of ITV Studios) has officially renewed the hit UK Original series for a second run.
“Rivals” is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles, and is packed full of wit, romantic entanglements, sex and unforgettable characters. The story is set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England in the ruthless world of independent television.
Dame Jilly Cooper, Executive Producer and Rivals author, commented: “Nearly 40 years after my novel Rivals was published, I’ve adored seeing the world fall in love with my beloved characters - Rutshire’s Finest.
And it has been a fairytale come true working with Happy Prince and Disney+ on the first season. I’m orgasmic with excitement and cannot wait for the return of my superhero Rupert Campbell-Black and the rest of the characters in season two!"
Lee Mason, Executive Director of Scripted Originals, EMEA Disney+, added: “It’s been phenomenal seeing the reaction to Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rivals - this autumn’s most talked about series. We’re thrilled that existing fans of the novels, alongside those new to the Cooperverse, have taken the series to their hearts. I can’t wait to get back to Rutshire and see what exciting drama the Happy Prince team have in store for season two – bring on more romance, betrayal, and shoulder pads!’”
Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Chief Creative Officer of Happy Prince and Alexander Lamb, Creative Director of Happy Prince said: "It's been magical to receive the love back from viewers that we put into Rivals. The Rivals team set out to create people's favourite television show, something enduring that our audience would take to their hearts and watch and rewatch. We're delighted that we're returning to Rutshire with Jilly and Disney+. It's a special place to be."
“Rivals” is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (“A Very English Scandal”, “Holding”, “EastEnders”), Alexander Lamb (“Ackley Bridge”, “The Bay”, “We Hunt Together”), Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty (“Cheaters”, “Ted Lasso”), Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (“The Riot Club”), “Rivals” author Dame Jilly Cooper and for Disney+ EMEA Scripted Content, Jonny Richards.
“Rivals” will return to Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in the UK and internationally.
All episodes of “Rivals” season 1 are available to stream now, exclusively on Disney+.
Disney+ is available from £4.99 per month – with no hidden costs and the ability to cancel anytime. There’s something for everyone to watch, adding new TV series, blockbuster movies and exclusive Originals throughout the year under its six brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star. With a library of entertainment spanning everything from documentaries to critically acclaimed drama, and comedy to classic animation. Customers can enjoy anything from Searchlight’s “Kinds of Kindness” and Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine”, to FX’s “Shōgun”, “The Bear” or “Only Murders in the Building”.
Robust parental controls ensure that Disney+ remains a suitable viewing experience for everyone in the family. Subscribers can set access limits on mature content and create PIN-protected profiles alongside the already existing Junior Mode profiles to give parents and guardians peace of mind.
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ABOUT DISNEY+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from Disney, Disney+ offers an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
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 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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