Rupert Everett and Hayley Atwell to star in Rivals series two
Based on Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name, the series centres on a group of wealthy media types in the 1980s who are based in the Cotswolds.
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Hayley Atwell (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
Atwell will be playing Helen Gordon, ex-wife of Alex Hassell's Rupert Campbell-Black, and mother of his two children – Marcus and Tabitha, while Everett will play her husband, Malise Gordon.
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, chief creative officer at Happy Prince, told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'We have some new guests.
'So some new cast, some of them are newly created characters, with Jilly's blessing, some famous characters.
'And most importantly, we're looking into Rupert more. So we have Rupert's children… but also with them… anyone who knows Jilly Cooper knows that Rupert's ex-wife, Helen, loathes him, and she is married to his old show jumping boss, who's a bit older than her.
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'So we are bringing Helen and Malise Gordon into this series, played by Rupert Everett and Haley Atwell, so they will be joining the cast.
'And for fans of the books, it's great to dig deeper into Rupert.'
Everett, 66, is known for starring in a range of TV series and films including My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and St Trinian's (2007), where he was seen playing headmistress Camilla Fritton.
Atwell, 43, has starred in the Mission: Impossible films and is also known for playing Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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The announcement comes after the BBC reported actress Kate Robbins would be joining the cast.
Robbins is the mother of Emily Atack, who plays Sarah Stratton, the character who was seen playing naked tennis with Rupert in series one – a moment that was Bafta-nominated.
Emily Atack attending the 2025 Bafta Television Awards (Ian West/PA)
Atack told the Edinburgh TV Festival that she 'wasn't afraid to identify with' Stratton, who has an affair with Rupert, and added: 'I completely am her. I'm a very flawed woman. I've made terrible decisions in my love life.'
She added: 'The term, sort of typecast, is always sort of seen as this negative thing.
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'I've been typecast my whole life, and I've loved every single minute of it, and I will carry on playing these sexy women for as long as they will have me.'
Further ensemble cast have been announced as Sanditon's Maxim Ays, Mr Loverman star Holly Cattle, Slow Horses star Eliot Salt, and One Day's Jonny Weldon.
Rivals series two will be comprised of 12 episodes, and Treadwell-Collins said it will be out 'soon'.
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