Rupert Everett and Hayley Atwell to star in Rivals series two
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.
'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.
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.
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.
'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'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Culture minister says ‘biggest anxiety' is public service broadcasters' budgets
Culture minister Sir Chris Bryant has said his 'biggest anxiety' when it comes to the British TV industry is the reduced budgets of public service broadcasters (PSBs). The commissioning budgets of PSBs have been 'squeezed by the real-terms reduction of the BBC licence fee', as well as a reduction in advertising revenue, according to a report from the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee published earlier in the year. The MP also spoke about the Government's rejection of a streamer levy, after the report called for platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Disney+, to commit to paying 5% of their UK subscriber revenue into a cultural fund which would help PSBs through financing drama with a specific interest to British audiences. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he said: 'We want to get a mixed economy. I love the fact that the streamers and big Hollywood houses make lots of shows in the UK … I want to mix it, to be making our own stuff.' Speaking about the importance of 'a mixed economy', he said: 'Film and TV, and high-end television in particular is fundamentally an international thing. 'I think that some politicians in the world don't seem to fully understand us, but one of the things I've been trying to achieve in the UK is, yes, it's great that the streamers do make fabulous stuff here, and lots of wonderful films made here. ' Tom Cruise is probably one of the biggest investors in the UK economy over the last decade. Brilliant. 'I really want to celebrate that, but I don't want everything that is made in the UK, all the IP (intellectual property), simply to go back to the West Coast of the United States of America. 'I'd like us to have some IP that remains here so that we can continue making investments and have strong UK production companies, which also make stuff which maybe sometimes is specifically made for a UK audience as well as for a wider audience. 'So I've been trying to make that mixed economy.' Cruise's blockbuster Mission Impossible films, particularly recent instalments, have frequently filmed in the UK, with locations including London, Derbyshire and the Lake District. Sir Chris added: 'My biggest anxiety is the state of public service broadcasting budgets, and if they haven't got any funding, they're not going to be making any progress.' After the report into British film and high-end television, chairwoman of the CMS committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said 'there will be countless distinctly British stories that never make it to our screens' unless the Government intervenes to 'rebalance the playing field' between streamers and public service broadcasters (PSBs).
Daily Record
2 minutes ago
- Daily Record
BBC Strictly Come Dancing's George Clarke lets slip 'huge spoiler' on podcast
Youtube star George Clarke is among the celebrities competing in the upcoming season of Strictly. Strictly Come Dancing's George Clarke may have accidentally let slip who he is paired with before the BBC's official announcement. The YouTuber was unveiled as the sixth celebrity in the official line up for Strictly 2025 as the show enters its 23rd season. The social media star is well known online for his comedy content. He also co-hosts The Useless Hotline podcast which is where he may have accidentally spilled the beans. In a chat on his podcast with co-host Max Balegde, the 25-year-old revealed there's one professional dancer he's already met. As he recounted the audition process, George told listeners that he was partnered with a pro and rehearsed with her for an hour. He said: "I've not met anyone apart from, I believe her name's Lauren [Oakley], who was the pro that I met. "Because when we had a interview for it, so it's like an hour long interview, and then like an hour long dance session." Lauren has been a professional dancer on the BBC One flagship show since 2022. She has competed with two celebrities, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who placed eighth, and JB Gill last year, after taking over from fellow pro Amy Dowden during the season, who withdrew due to injury. George explained that he had performed with Lauren in front of 'two lovely women from the production team that were just sat at what basically looked like a judge's desk'. He said he had to learn a jive with Lauren during the audition, as well as a 'little Latin number he couldn't remember the name of'. However, he did say that he did not know whether this would factor in his official pairing, since that reveal is yet to be announced in the coming days. The Youtube star confirmed his Strictly debut on BBC Radio 1's Going Home Drivetime Show on August 12. Speaking of the news, he said: "Never thought I'd say this, but I'm doing Strictly! Honestly, I've got no idea what I'm doing but I'm excited to get stuck in and potentially fall over a fair bit." When he was revealed as the sixth star, George joked: "I feel like a lot of people will still be saying, who?" He added: "I was meant to be doing a marathon at the end of the month. Can't really do that, because I'm dancing. So I've had to be like, 'Oh God, I'm still training. I promise.'' Strictly 2025 will come as the BBC programmes' 23rd series with the show set to return in September. The show's return comes after Strictly has just faced a fresh scandal after claims of cocaine use by two stars with reports suggesting their substance use was an open secret on the show. It follows a turbulent few years of controversial allegations including backstage bullying, misconduct claims and several stars being axed or suspended by the BBC as a result of their behaviour.
Western Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Culture minister says ‘biggest anxiety' is public service broadcasters' budgets
The commissioning budgets of PSBs have been 'squeezed by the real-terms reduction of the BBC licence fee', as well as a reduction in advertising revenue, according to a report from the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee published earlier in the year. The MP also spoke about the Government's rejection of a streamer levy, after the report called for platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Disney+, to commit to paying 5% of their UK subscriber revenue into a cultural fund which would help PSBs through financing drama with a specific interest to British audiences. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he said: 'We want to get a mixed economy. I love the fact that the streamers and big Hollywood houses make lots of shows in the UK … I want to mix it, to be making our own stuff.' Speaking about the importance of 'a mixed economy', he said: 'Film and TV, and high-end television in particular is fundamentally an international thing. 'I think that some politicians in the world don't seem to fully understand us, but one of the things I've been trying to achieve in the UK is, yes, it's great that the streamers do make fabulous stuff here, and lots of wonderful films made here. 'Tom Cruise is probably one of the biggest investors in the UK economy over the last decade. Brilliant. Tom Cruise filmed parts of his of Mission: Impossible films in the UK (Ian West/PA) 'I really want to celebrate that, but I don't want everything that is made in the UK, all the IP (intellectual property), simply to go back to the West Coast of the United States of America. 'I'd like us to have some IP that remains here so that we can continue making investments and have strong UK production companies, which also make stuff which maybe sometimes is specifically made for a UK audience as well as for a wider audience. 'So I've been trying to make that mixed economy.' Cruise's blockbuster Mission Impossible films, particularly recent instalments, have frequently filmed in the UK, with locations including London, Derbyshire and the Lake District. Sir Chris added: 'My biggest anxiety is the state of public service broadcasting budgets, and if they haven't got any funding, they're not going to be making any progress.' After the report into British film and high-end television, chairwoman of the CMS committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said 'there will be countless distinctly British stories that never make it to our screens' unless the Government intervenes to 'rebalance the playing field' between streamers and public service broadcasters (PSBs).
