
Rivals series two starts filming as cast share behind the scenes snap of Danny Dyer's return after BAFTA win
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FILMING for Rivals series two has begun - as the cast shared a behind-the-scenes snap of Danny Dyer's return.
The likes of David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Emily Atack also appear in the romp-filled series.
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Hit show Rivals has begun filming for series two
Credit: Instagram
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Based on Jilly Cooper's novel, Rivals debuted on Disney+ last year
Credit: Instagram
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Danny Dyer returns after his recent BAFTA win
Credit: Instagram
The smash-hit period drama, based on Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel, launched on Disney+ last year.
New snaps show cast members back on set to film the second series, which was confirmed last year.
It comes as cast member Danny Dyer recently took home a prestigious BAFTA.
The actor, 47, received the gong for his work in Sky Max comedy Mr Bigstuff - marking his first BAFTA win.
Meanwhile, the star recently revealed he will strip totally naked in a full-frontal nude scene for the new series of Rivals.
The second outing will comprise 12 episodes altogether - marking an increase of four.
David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Alex Hassell and Nafessa Williams are all confirmed to be returning.
Also coming back are Emily Atack, Rufus Jones, Oliver Chris, Victoria Smurfit and Luke Pasqualino to name just a few.
Following the original book, the first series of Rivals was set in the fictional county of Rutshire in the 80s.
It saw long-held grudges bubble to the surface as characters vied for business and each others' affections in the cut-throat world of telly execs.
Rivals fans convinced series two announcement video contains HUGE spoiler for next season after cliffhanger ending - did you spot it?
Viewers tuned into the show in droves as they raved about the racy action in both the bedroom and boardroom.
After the jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending, many viewers eagerly waited to watch more on Disney+.
The Sun previously reported how execs commissioned the show for a second outing before series one even debuted.
Rivals: The Cast
An ensemble of stars make up the huge cast of the hit Disney+ show Rivals.
Alex Hassell - Rupert Campbell-Black (A retired Olympian show jumper who is now a Tory MP and sports minister)
David Tennant - Lord Baddingham (The managing director of Corinium Television)
Aidan Turner - Declan O'Hara (Former BBC journalist who is lured over to Corinium)
Victoria Smurfit - Maud O'Hara (Declan's wretched wife and a former actress)
Nafessa Williams - Cameron Cook (No-nonsense American TV producer who works for Corinium)
Bella Maclean - Agatha 'Taggie' O'Hara (Eldest daughter of Declan and Maud who wants to own her own catering business)
Katherine Parkinson - Lizzie Vereker (A romance author and resident of Rutshire)
Oliver Chris - James Vereker (TV host at Corinium and Lizzie's self-absorbed husband)
Danny Dyer - Freddie Jones (Self-made successful electronics businessman and resident in Rutshire)
Lisa McGrillis - Valerie Jones (Freddie's wife who is a notorious social climber)
Emily Atack - Sarah Stratton (The second wife of MP Paul Stratton, who wants to become a TV presenter)
Rufus Jones - Paul Stratton (British MP going through a mid-life crisis)
Claire Rushbrook - Monica, Lady Baddingham (Tony's wife)
Luke Pasqualino - Basil 'Bas' Baddingham (Tony's younger and promiscuous half-brother)
Gary Lamont - Charles Fairburn (Controller of programmes at Corinium)
Author Dame Jilly Cooper said at the time: "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."
She added: "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!"
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+.
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BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tommy Fury opens up about the worst year of his life and explains why being a father is his most prized title ahead of The Good. The Bad. The Fury. documentary
Tommy: The Good. The Bad. The Fury., a new series for BBC Three and iPlayer, follows Tommy Fury on his road to redemption as he seeks to restore his reputation and win back the trust of his partner Molly-Mae by regaining his mental health and returning to the ring. The series follows Tommy's comeback year as he tries to rebuild his career and 'return to his old self' after developing an alcohol problem that cost him his family, his reputation and mental health. Tommy bares all about the demons that drove him to drink and allows cameras at home and behind the scenes as he trains with his father John to prove himself worthy of fighting again, and through this show Molly-Mae and his daughter Bambi that he is a dependable father and partner once again. Watch Tommy: The Good. The Bad. The Fury on iPlayer and BBC Three from Tuesday 19 August and add to your Watchlist now GC2/JS Interview with Tommy Fury What was your motivation for wanting to do your own series? I was really going through a tough time, and I just thought if there's any time to document this, it would be now. I want people not just to see all the great stuff that they see like winning fights on TV or living the life on Instagram. I want people to see me going through a difficult time as well. Because that's real life. How did it feel having cameras follow you around? To be quite honest it felt okay because I wanted to do the documentary. Once I've decided on something I want to go all in. Once you get yourself into that mind frame, you're not bothered whether a camera is there or not, and you just don't care anymore. And that was completely it really: I wanted the documentary to be raw and real, and that's exactly what you've got. You said that 2024 was the worst year of your life. Any reflections on that? And how does it compare to 2025 so far? Yeah, 2024 was awful. I started last January with a hand surgery and since then it just from went from bad to worse. I had my problems with alcohol, I was absent from the ring, I had problems in my private life and just lost touch with myself. 2025 is completely different. Already this year we've managed to make an amazing documentary. I've had my comeback fight. I'm back in the ring and back being active. My private life has never been better. And yeah, everything is just a complete opposite of 2024. What was your life and career like pre-Love Island? Growing up, I didn't want for anything. I had an amazing childhood. My dad went to prison for a long time, so he was absent for some of the key years of my life. I was about eight or nine when he was sentenced to 12 years: he was away for a long time so that was tough. I grew up watching my brother Tyson working hard and becoming as successful as he is. I was the kid that was just lurking around in the gym and no one expected much of me really. But I have always loved boxing, had real determination and wouldn't take no for an answer. I couldn't afford much so I would often have to ask friends for money to get the tram, train or bus as I couldn't afford the ticket. So my story is pretty unique. Did you ever expect to become famous? And how do you feel about life in the public eye? I never expected to become famous. I always just wanted to be good at boxing. The Love Island stuff was completely unexpected. I'd never watched Love Island before and it just came about at a completely unexpected time. It was an opportunity that came around and I said yes to, but it was never something I'd planned or was in the picture for me. I thought afterwards a few people might know me, but I could never have imagined the scale of what it is now and life now. With the paparazzi, it's not great. I mean, I can't push my child on a swing without a camera in my face. You can't walk down the road without being left alone! I can't even go for a haircut and be left alone. So, you've kind of always got camera in your face, and that's why I just try not to really think about it anymore, because there's nothing you can really do. Your injury seemed to trigger a lot of negativity in your life. Do you have any reflections on how far you've come since then? The injury caused a lot of problems in my life, both inside and outside the ring. But I've come so far and I've done a full turn. I've gone from having nothing in my life, to living in a house alone, going through the toughest time of my life, to now having everything back and feeling myself again. I'm back in the gym and back training. I'm back in shape. My family's there and I've come full circle. I couldn't be any happier. Did Tyson's career inspire you to get into boxing and what have you learned from him? Tyson's career definitely motivated me to get into boxing and seeing him do as well as he's done. I love to train anyway. I love to box; I think it's just in me to do it. My dad had a great saying when I was younger. He always said, 'what's in you will come out of you'. And I think it's in me to fight. It's in my blood. How is it working so closely with your Dad? I spend a lot of time with my dad. He's not just a father to me, he's my trainer also. We're in the gym every single day together, often twice a day, and he puts me through vigorous workouts. So, I'm with him quite a lot! I have that father-son relationship with him, but we also have a trainer-fighter relationship. My dad helps me through a lot in my personal life and a lot in my work life in boxing. How is it working and training with your brother, Roman? It's amazing having Roman in the gym with me, going through these torture sessions with me. Whenever I'm flagging a little bit, or I don't feel up-to-scratch, having Roman there for some healthy competition really does spur me on. It's great to have a training partner and it's great to have a brother as a training partner. The camping trip we see you go on is quite different to your holidays with Molly-Mae and Bambi! What is your perfect holiday? The camping trip you see in the documentary will probably be the only camping trip that you ever see me go on! But it was grounding and at least I understand now that I can't put a tent together! As much as the holidays to Dubai are great, Molly and I want to give Bambi that grounded holiday experience too. Not everything has to be perfect five stars all the time. It's okay to not be able to put up a tent and lose your rag a little bit, because that's life! Those are the sort of holidays I had as a kid and I remember those holidays more than I remember the fancy holidays. How have you found fatherhood and life as a Dad? Fatherhood is the best thing that can ever happen to you. There's nothing in this life - boxing or money or fame or anything - that compares to being a father. Every day I wake up and I see Bambi it's like nothing else matters. As long as I've got her and I can make her proud, I don't really care about anything else. Being a father is the best title that I can ever have in my life. After winning your last fight, what's next for you? I'm in boxing mode after winning my last fight. I'm firmly back in the swing of things. I've come off a very good win against a good guy, and so right now it's just about opportunity. We'll see what opportunities are out there. If one presents itself, I will take it. If it makes money, it makes sense, because this is a business at the end of the day and we have to be smart. We have to think about what we're doing, but I just want to be active and fighting. You say that training and routine keeps you in a good head space. Do you have any words of wisdom for people who have faced adversity and want to motivate themselves? Adversity can be a good thing because it's all about how you overcome it and how you face it. You know, I took adversity by the horns and dealt with it. I've gone through my trials and tribulations and I've come out the other side. I feel like adversity is healthy for everybody, if you know how to handle it. It's a case of I'm just gonna get past another hurdle, it's another barrier that I'm gonna knock down, and another one I'm gonna take off the list. In the series, you talk about rebuilding your family life. What's the status of that now? And what do you hope for in the future? So, in terms of my family life, everything is private now between me and Molly, and we're in the happiest place possible. And that's all that anyone needs to know! Everyone's entitled to a private life and so right now we're going to live our private life, because we haven't had that since we were 19 or 20 years old. It's all been lived out in front of a camera or on the front page of a newspaper. So now, going forward, we're finally going to take that private time. You have talked about making good life choices. Can you expand on that? So in terms of life choices, it is just about not putting yourself in a predicament. For me now, I'm 26 - still young - but going out and drinking and doing all that just isn't on my mind. There's nothing in me that wants to do that. For me, my life choices right now consist of eating healthily, going to the gym, spending time with my family, making memories on holidays, and living that family man lifestyle. When I'm not boxing that's what I want to be doing. How big of an influence has your faith been in your life? And can you tell us a bit more about your faith? I'm a Christian. You'll see in the documentary when I was younger, around 10 or 12 years old, I was an altar boy in the primary school that I went to. I used to serve the mass and help the priest out. And yeah, I talked to God every single day. Everything that I have in my life now is all thanks to the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I owe him everything. After every big fight that I have, it's always thank-you to my Lord and Saviour for this victory. I owe him everything. I don't often speak about it, but every person that I meet for a picture on the street or every interview I have, I'll always say, God Bless. I don't want to force it on anyone. But he's turned my dreams into reality. Do you have any pearls of wisdom for aspiring boxers or sports people who are at the start of their careers? I would say the only thing - and this is coming from a guy who's not, you know, Muhammad Ali, I'm not the most talented boxer out there - but the one thing that I do have, over and above a lot of other people, is determination. I just don't take no for an answer. If somebody tells me that I can't do something, I'll go out there and do it. I love to defy the odds. I love to go out there and keep doing it. As a sportsman, you've got to be the best version of yourself that you can; you can't take no for an answer. The most important word to summarise that is dedication. Without dedication you don't have anything. So, I'd say to any young, aspiring athletes: stay in the gym, stay grounded and stay dedicated. What do you hope that people to take from watching the series? If I can help one person with my story, that'd be objective done. Or, if not and I can't help anyone, just enjoy it. It's a ride. There's highs and lows, so just put your seat belt on, fasten up and get some popcorn! Finally, what's next for you Tommy, personally and professionally? Personally? I just want to stay happy. I want to continue making memories with my family and hopefully have some more children. In terms of work life – we'll see. I'll be back in the ring at the end of the year and we're going to have some more big fights. There's a lot of interesting conversations to be had. Stay tuned. Read more: New series Tommy: The Good. The Bad. The Fury. commissioned for BBC Three and iPlayer Follow for more


The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
From ‘skibidi' to ‘mouse jiggler': The new words being added to the Cambridge Dictionary
Thousands of new words, including popular social media slang such as "Skibidi", "tradwife", and "delulu", are set to be added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year. Over 6,000 terms will join the lexicon, reflecting modern life with additions like "mouse jiggler" from remote working, and "forever chemical" highlighting climate change concerns. Slang term 'skibidi', a jibberish word, joined the world 's largest online dictionary in the past 12 months. Defined in the dictionary as 'a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad', or can be used with no real meaning as a joke', an example of its use is: 'What the skibidi are you doing?' The term was coined by the creator of a viral animated video series called 'skibidi toilet' on YouTube, Cambridge Dictionary said, and Kim Kardashian revealed her familiarity with the phrase when she posted a video on Instagram in October showing a necklace her daughter had given her as a birthday present, engraved with 'skibidi toilet'. 'Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,' said Colin McIntosh, lexical programme manager at Cambridge Dictionary. 'Tradwife', short for traditional wife, has also grown in popularity, Cambridge Dictionary said, thanks to the digital world. Meaning, a married woman who stays at home doing cooking, cleaning, and has children that she takes care of, the dictionary definition also says a 'tradwife' is 'especially one who posts on social media'. As well as new phrases, some shortened versions of existing terms have been added, including 'delulu', a play on the world delusional, with a similar definition: 'believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to'. Mr McIntosh said Cambridge Dictionary only adds words which they believe will stand the test of time. 'It's not every day you get to see words like 'skibidi' and 'delulu' make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,' he said. 'We only add words where we think they'll have staying power.' Cambridge Dictionary uses the Cambridge English Corpus, a database of more than two billion words of written and spoken English, to observe how new words are used by different people, how often and in what contexts they are used. More remote working since the pandemic helped 'mouse jiggler', meaning a device or piece of software used to make it seem as though you are working when you are not, gain its place in the dictionary. Some composite terms such as 'broligarchy' were also added. Merging 'bro' and 'oligarchy', the term means 'a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business, who are extremely rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence', and was used to describe tech leaders Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg attending Donald Trump's inauguration in January. Meanwhile, new entries like 'work wife' and 'work spouse' acknowledge workplace relationships where two people help and trust each other, Cambridge Dictionary said.


The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Social media terms skibidi, tradwife and delulu added to Cambridge Dictionary
'Skibidi', 'tradwife', 'delulu' and other slang terms popularised by social media are among thousands of new words to be added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year. Continued remote working has introduced terms like 'mouse jiggler' and concerns over climate change see the phrase 'forever chemical' added, alongside more than 6,000 others words. Slang term 'skibidi', a gibberish word, joined the world's largest online dictionary in the past 12 months. Defined in the dictionary as 'a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad', or can be used with no real meaning as a joke', an example of its use is: 'What the skibidi are you doing?' The term was coined by the creator of a viral animated video series called 'skibidi toilet' on YouTube, Cambridge Dictionary said, and Kim Kardashian revealed her familiarity with the phrase when she posted a video on Instagram in October showing a necklace her daughter had given her as a birthday present, engraved with 'skibidi toilet'. 'Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,' said Colin McIntosh, lexical programme manager at Cambridge Dictionary. 'Tradwife', short for traditional wife, has also grown in popularity, Cambridge Dictionary said, thanks to the digital world. Meaning, a married woman who stays at home doing cooking, cleaning, and has children that she takes care of, the dictionary definition also says a 'tradwife' is 'especially one who posts on social media'. As well as new phrases, some shortened versions of existing terms have been added, including 'delulu', a play on the world delusional, with a similar definition: 'believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to'. Mr McIntosh said Cambridge Dictionary only adds words which they believe will stand the test of time. 'It's not every day you get to see words like 'skibidi' and 'delulu' make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary,' he said. 'We only add words where we think they'll have staying power.' Cambridge Dictionary uses the Cambridge English Corpus, a database of more than two billion words of written and spoken English, to observe how new words are used by different people, how often and in what contexts they are used. More remote working since the pandemic helped 'mouse jiggler', meaning a device or piece of software used to make it seem as though you are working when you are not, gain its place in the dictionary. Some composite terms such as 'broligarchy' were also added. Merging 'bro' and 'oligarchy', the term means 'a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business, who are extremely rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence', and was used to describe tech leaders Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg attending Donald Trump's inauguration in January. Meanwhile, new entries like 'work wife' and 'work spouse' acknowledge workplace relationships where two people help and trust each other, Cambridge Dictionary said.