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Hands down Molly Weasley is one of the most iconic parents in the Wizarding World—we’re talking sweater-knitting, spell-slinging, “Not my daughter, you b*tch!” levels of legendary. And while Julie Walters will always be the Og queen of The Burrow, there’s a new Mrs. Weasley in town for HBO’s Harry Potter reboot. And this one’s got a BAFTA nod to back her up!

Welcome, Katherine Parkinson, the queen of quirky British comedy, who’s currently bewitching audiences in the sizzling new series Rivals. With a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2025 BAFTAs, Parkinson is proving she’s got the magic. In fact, her thoughts on female writers and fierce women made us forget about Julie Walters for a moment.

Katherine Parkinson speaks about her Rivals character and female writers Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie in Rivals | image: Disney+

In Rivals, Katherine...

Hulu has announced that filming begins this month on Rivals season two, which will continue the adaptation of the best-selling novel by Dame Jilly Cooper. The drama returns with an extended season of twelve episodes – and even more wit, desire, and dramatic twists.

Set against the backdrop of the stunning Cotswolds countryside and the glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television, Rivals season two will see the return of the all-star cast that won the hearts of fans and critics alike, as well as introduce brand new faces.

Careers, marriages, and reputations hang in the balance as personal and professional lives collide in a world where secrets can’t stay hidden for long.

Bold, emotionally charged, and filled with unforgettable moments, Rivals is a thrilling ride through a landscape of breathtaking beauty, fierce competition, and life-changing decisions, where the cost of success could be everything.

Reprising their iconic roles are...

Disney+’s Rivals is back and Season 2 has been supercharged.

Cameras have now rolled on the second season of the Jilly Cooper adaptation starring David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer, and the series has been given a rare 12-ep order, up from eight in Season 1.

The first season has been Disney+’s most successful general entertainment premiere in the UK to date, according to the streamer. It airs on Hulu in the States.

Season 2 picks up the second half of the Cooper novel and will see careers, marriages, and reputations hang in the balance as personal and professional lives collide in a world where secrets can’t stay hidden for long.

Cast are all returning. They include Tennant, Turner, Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, Nafessa Williams, Alex Hassell and Bella Maclean amongst the ensemble.

The news comes just two days before the BAFTAs, for which Rivals has six nominations.

Cooper said:...

Rivals, Industry and Alma’s Not Normal were among the winners at the U.K.’s Royal Television Society Program Awards Tuesday night.

Across the 29 competitive categories, the BBC led with 16 wins, including for Sophie Willan’s sitcom Alma’s Not Normal and Steven Knight’s musical This Town, which took home the newly combined award for limited series and single drama.

Elsewhere, Danny Dyer took best supporting actor — male for his outing in Disney+’s hit drama Rivals, which also earned Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade the writing prize for drama as judges assessed the Jilly Cooper adaptation as “bold and totally assured in its very distinctive tone and style.”

Continuing to impress is Richard Gadd’s Netflix limited series Baby Reindeer as Golden Globe winner Jessica Gunning won the Rts Programme Award in the best supporting actor — female category.

James Coren and Ruth Jones, creators of the hugely popular hit Gavin & Stacey,...

Rivals, the Disney+ series about sex and scandal in the British television industry in the 1980s, was one of the big winners at the Royal Television Society (Rts) Progamme Awards.

At a ceremony in London on Tuesday, Danny Dyer took home Supporting Actor – Male for his role as electronics businessman Freddie Jones in the Jilly Cooper adaptation. It is his second prize in the space of a week after he won Best Actor at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.

Rivals writers Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade won best Writer – Drama at the Rts awards, with judges praising the show’s “very distinctive tone and style.”

Elsewhere, HBO/BBC show Industry won best Drama Series in its third season. “A series with feature film production values and brilliant performances in which every story detail had a purpose,” judges said.

In other performance categories, Jessica Gunning continues her awards hot streak for Baby Reindeer,...

“Rivals,” Hulu and Disney+’s acclaimed drama about the ruthless British independent television industry of the 1980s, will return for Season 2, Hulu announced Wednesday.

The series is based on a 1988 novel by Dame Jilly Cooper, and tells the story of wealthy and ambitious entrepreneurs Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Tony, Lord Baddingham (David Tennant) as they build a network to compete with the BBC during the era of deregulation. It’s a witty and sexy show that has found an audience on both sides of the pond since its release in October.

“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,” Cooper said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, referencing the series her novel is part of, the “Rutshire Chronicles. “And it has been a fairytale come true working with Happy Prince [part of co0269801 autoITV Studios...

Hulu announced today that the drama Rivals, based on the novel by Dame Jilly Cooper, will return for a second season. Following a dramatic, cliff-hanger ending, Emea Disney+ with Happy Prince (part of ITV Studios) has officially renewed the hit UK Original series for a second run.

Rivals Season 2 will debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in the UK and internationally.

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.

The series is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty, Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (The Riot Club), Rivals author Dame Jilly Cooper and for Disney+ Emea Scripted Content, Jonny Richards.

Phew — a second season of British drama Rivals is on the way. Walt Disney streamer Disney+ said on Wednesday that its critically acclaimed series, based on the novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper, will return for a second season after the first ended on a dramatic cliffhanger.

With a star-studded cast of Aidan Turner, David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Emily Atack, Victoria Smurfit, Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer, Nafessa Williams and Luke Pasqualino, the series has proved overwhelmingly popular with Disney+ viewers.

The story follows Cooper’s novel on the infamous scoundrel Rupert Campbell-Black (Hassell) and his rivalry with Tony Baddingham (Tennant) that seeps into the world of Baddingham’s Corinium independent commercial television station, located in the fictional county of Rutshire, the Cotswolds in southwest England.

Rivals is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles series of novels. The author said: “Nearly 40 years after my novel Rivals was published,...

Jilly Cooper drama Rivals will return for a second season.

Based on Cooper’s novel of the same name, the series is set in the Rutshire Chronicles universe and set against the background of the drama, excess and power-grabbing 1980s socially elite England, in the world of independent television.

In the U.S., Season 2 will once again stream on Hulu, while going out internationally on Disney+.

Season 1 stars the likes of David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Alex Hassall, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson and Emily Atack, and was produced by ITV Studios-owned Happy Prince, which will return to make the second.

Cooper, who is an executive producer on the project, said: “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.

Jilly Cooper fans have reason to rejoice: “Rivals” is returning for a second season.

Based on Cooper’s bestselling “bonkbuster” of the same name, the series stars Emily Atack, Aidan Turner and David Tennant as residents of a fictional English village called Rutshire where they regularly fight, flirt and fornicate.

The book was first published in 1988.

Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, with Cooper’s iconic hunk Rupert Campbell-Black (played by Alex Hassell) finally giving in to his feelings for his friend’s daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean), some 16 years his junior, and evil TV boss Tony Baddingham (Tennant) getting his comeuppance after violently beating his mistress and employee Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams).

Last month Tennant told Variety he felt “very fortunate” to be part of the series, despite only taking on the role of Baddingham at the behest of his wife Georgia. “It’s happened a handful of times to me...

A new drama led by David Tennant has a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and it looks to be a streaming success. Tennant will forever be known for his role as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, a portrayal that has made the actor an absolute favorite among fans of the seminal sci-fi series. But in recent years, the veteran performer has added several other popular credits to his filmography.

He showed a more villainous side as Kilgrave in the Marvel show Jessica Jones, toggling the line between loathsome and compelling, while starring opposite Krysten Ritter. He's also a co-lead on Good Omens, which will wrap up with a 90-minute farewell, ending his run on Prime Video's popular supernatural series alongside Michael Sheen. But the BAFTA-nominated actor recently debuted a new starring role.

Rivals Is Tennant's Latest Hit It Streams On Hulu

Reelgood confirms that Rivals is already making an impression on the streaming charts.

The Rotten Tomatoes score has been revealed for the series Rivals. Rivals is a new Disney+ show based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper about a rivalry between Rupert Cambell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) that is set in 1986 and centers on the Corinium television station in the fictional Rutshire county in England. The show, which was written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade and directed by Elliot Hegarty, features a supporting cast that also includes Aidan Turner, Claire Rushbrook, Katherine Parkinson, Luke Pasqualino, Lisa McGrillis, Victoria Smurfit, and Bryony Hannah.

Rotten Tomatoes has now aggregated an official score for Rivals. Although it could fluctuate as more reviews are added, at the time of writing, the series holds a Fresh 86% score from critics on the Tomatometer. This score has been tabulated from seven different critics' reviews and is a full 26% above the 60% threshold past...

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Hulu is ready with an entertainment-packed October this year. The upcoming month will see the return of some brilliant comedy series Abbott Elementary and also new original movies like Hold Your Breath. Just like every month, Hulu is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 13 new movies and TV shows coming to Hulu in October 2024.

Last Days of the Space Age Season 1 (October 2)

Last Days of the Space Age is an Australian drama series created by David Chidlow. The upcoming Hulu series is set in 1979 in Perth, Western Australia and it revolves around three families after the American space station Skylab crash landed on earth just outside the city. Last Days of the Space Age stars Sam Delich, Jesse Spencer, Deborah Mailman, Iain Glen, Linh-Dan Pham, Thomas Weatherall, and George Mason.

Hulu has unveiled the full trailer for the eight-part series, ‘Rivals’, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, the show delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. Part of Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles series it is packed full of romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit.

The ’80s set saga stars Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Katherine Parkinson, David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Nafessa Williams, Emily Attack, Danny Dyer, Rufus Jones, Luke Pasqualino, Claire Rushbrook.

Written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade, the lead director is BAFTA-nominated Elliot Hegarty, who also serves as executive producer on episodes 1-4. Eliza Mellor serves as Series Producer. Dee Koppang O’Leary (“The Crown”) and Alexandra Brodski (“Somewhere Boy”) also direct episodes.

Also...

Hulu has revealed the new trailer for the eight-part Rivals series, which is based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by ITV Studios’ Happy Prince. The series will debut on Hulu in the U.S. on October 18, 2024.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.

The series stars Alex Hassell as the dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black, David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham, and Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara.

Nafessa Williams plays Cameron Cook, Katherine Parkinson portrays Lizzie Vereker, and Bella Maclean plays Taggie O’Hara.

The Rivals series also stars Emily Atack, Catriona Chandler, Oliver Chris, Danny Dyer, Rufus Jones, Lisa McGrillis, Luke Pasqualino, Claire Rushbrook, and Victoria Smurfit.

Rivals is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb,...

Hulu’s finally released the full trailer for Rivals, the eight-episode series based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel. David Tennant (Good Omens) and Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth) star in the adaptation, premiering on October 18, 2024.

“Set against the backdrop of power-grabbing social elites, Rivals dives headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986, where hair-dos are big and ambitions are even bigger,” reads Hulu’s synopsis. “Deals are brokered in boardrooms, as well as bedrooms. Nobody can be sure who will come out on top. With every man and woman out only for themselves, can true love really blossom?”

David Tennant stars in ‘Rivals’ (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black. David Tennant stars as Lord Tony Baddingham. The cast also includes Aidan Turner (Poldark) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams (Black Lighting) as Cameron Cook, Katherine Parkinson (Humans) as Lizzie Vereker,...

Disney+ has set a premiere date for Rivals, the Jilly Cooper adaptation starring David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, and Danny Dyer.

Lee Mason, Disney’s director of scripted content in Europe, announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival that the eight-part series will drop on October 18 in the UK. Rivals will stream on Hulu in the U.S.

It is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the excess and antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England.

The series chronicles the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 and the long-standing rivalry of ex-Olympian, MP, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (Tennant), controller of Corinium Television.

Poldark star Turner is TV presenter Declan O’Hara, a fierce intellectual with an even fiercer temper who is wooed to Corinium from the BBC. Other cast includes EastEnders actor Dyer as Freddie Jones,...

Hulu has revealed a new teaser trailer and more photos for the eight-part series Rivals, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. The series is set to debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.

This second wave of images (view the first wave of images here) introduces nine more iconic characters from the drama: Sarah Stratton, Caitlin O’Hara, James Vereker, and Freddie Jones.

There’s also Paul Stratton, Valerie Jones, Bas Baddingham, Lady Monica Baddingham, and Maud O’Hara.

The first looks are accompanied by a teaser trailer showcasing the ’80s set saga, which also stars Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean,...

Horses, helicopters and hanky-panky are what fans of Jilly Cooper’s iconic novel “Rivals” can expect from Disney’s screen adaptation.

Starring Emily Atack (“The Inbetweeners”), David Tennant (“Doctor Who”) and Aidan Turner (“Poldark”), “Rivals” follows the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England as they break up and couple up.

In the first teaser trailer, which dropped today, Tennant can be seen dressed as an upper crust gentleman farmer, Turner dons a smart suit and Tom Selleck-inspired bushy moustache while Atack adjusts herself in front of a full-length mirror clad in a period-inspired bodycon dress.

Rounding out the cast are Catriona Chandler (“Enola Holmes 2”) as Caitlin O’Hara, Oliver Chris (“The Crown”) as James Vereker, Danny Dyer (“Eastenders”) as Freddie Jones, Rufus Jones (“W1A”) as Paul Stratton, Lisa McGrillis (“Maternal”) as Valerie Jones, Luke Pasqualino (“Skins”) as Bas Baddingham, Claire Rushbrook (“Sherwood”) as Lady Monica Baddingham and Victoria Smurfit...

Disney+ has unveiled a teaser trailer alongside more first-look images of the eight-part series, ‘Rivals’, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, the show delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. Part of Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles series it is packed full of romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit.

The first-looks feature alongside a teaser trailer showcasing the ’80s set saga which also stars Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Katherine Parkinson, David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Nafessa Williams.

Nine more iconic characters from the drama have been unveiled in this second wave of images, introducing Sarah Stratton, Caitlin O’Hara (Catriona Chandler – ‘Pistol’, ‘Enola Holmes 2’), James Vereker (Oliver Chris – ‘The Crown’, ‘Trying’), Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer – ‘EastEnders,...

Jilly Cooper’s Rivals have nearly entered the building. Disney+ has unveiled a trailer and first looks for the adaptation that will launch later this year starring David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer. Scroll down for some more pics

Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 when a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: Ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (Tennant), controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television. The series is set to debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.

Nine characters are introduced via the wave of images including Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack), Caitlin O’Hara (Catriona Chandler), James Vereker (Oliver Chris), Freddie Jones (Dyer), Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones), Valerie Jones...

Hulu today gave a first glimpse of the avidly awaited eight-part series Rivals, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. The series is set to debut on Disney+ in other countries later this year.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.

This first wave of images unveiled six iconic characters from the drama. Alex Hassell plays the dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, incorrigible rake, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black.

David Tennant features as Lord Tony Baddingham, controller of Corinium Television and Rupert’s single-mindedly ambitious and egotistical adversary. Aidan Turner is journalist and TV presenter Declan O’Hara, who becomes caught in the crossfire of the long-simmering feud between Rupert and Tony.

Nafessa Williams is pictured as Cameron Cook,...

Disney+ thas revealed a set of first-look images of the eight-part series, ‘Rivals’, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, the show delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. Part of Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles series it is packed full of romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit.

Also in news – Exclusive: New Poster for Freud’s Last Session starring Anthony Hopkins & Matthew Goode

Six of the iconic characters from the drama have been unveiled in this first wave of images. Alex Hassell features as the dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, incorrigible rake, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black.

David Tennant features as Lord Tony Baddingham, controller of Corinium Television and Rupert’s single-mindedly ambitious and egotistical adversary.

Disney+ is building buzz for its Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals by teasing first-look images of the eight-part series. The series will stream on Hulu in the U.S.

Rivals is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the excess and antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England. Scroll on for more images.

Rivals chronicles the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 and the long-standing rivalry of ex-Olympian, MP, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), controller of Corinium Television.

Poldark star Aidan Turner is TV presenter Declan O’Hara, a fierce intellectual with an even fiercer temper who is wooed to Corinium from the BBC. Other cast includes EastEnders actor Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, a self-made electrics millionaire.

Among the wider ensemble is Nafessa Williams (Black Lighting), Bella Maclean (Sex Education), Katherine Parkinson...

Streamer Disney+ has revealed a power packed British cast who will join the previously announced David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer on the series adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s steamy novel “Rivals.”

Joining the eight-part saga are Annabel Scholey (“The Split”), Maggie Steed (“Ten Percent”), David Calder (“Motherland”), Antony Byrne (‘”The Witcher”), Denise Black (“Queer as Folk”), Bryony Hannah (“Call The Midwife”), Olivia Poulet (“Back”) and Brendan Patricks (“Downton Abbey”).

“Rivals” is part of Cooper’s bestselling “Rutshire Chronicles,” set in affluent 1980s England where two powerful men and neigbors – Olympian turned politician Rupert Campbell-Black and television exec Tony Baddingham – have a longstanding rivalry that finally comes to a head.

Scholey plays Beattie Johnson, a ruthless Fleet Street journalist who will do anything for a story. Steed plays Lady Gosling, the steely no-nonsense chair of Independent Broadcasters Association. Calder plays Lady Gosling’s dogmatic right-hand man, Fergus Penney,...

David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Aiden Turner have joined the casting line-up for the eight-part series, ‘Rivals’, based on the celebrated novel by Jilly Cooper.

Completing the ensemble cast are Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook, Oliver Chris, Lisa McGrillis, Emily Atack, Rufus Jones, Luke Pasqualino and Catriona Chandler.

The original eight-episode series is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles, the iconic literary series 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.

Diving headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. In the fictional county of Rutshire, a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over. Alex Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Tory Member of Parliament and incorrigible rake, the dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black. David Tennant...

Exclusive: Doctor Who star David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Aidan Turner are featuring in an ensemble cast for Disney+’s adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals.

Unveiled at last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, Rivals is part of iconic British author Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the drama, excess and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England.

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Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent...

“Rivals,” the steamy 1980s novel from “Queen of the Bonkbuster” Jilly Cooper is set to be adapted for streamer Disney+.

The eight-part series is set in affluent 1980s England where two powerful men and neigbors – Olympian turned politician Rupert Campbell-Black and television exec Tony Baddingham – have a longstanding rivalry that finally comes to a head.

“As tensions rise and rivalries deepen, there are spilled secrets, forged alliances, and snatched liaisons that draw wives, lovers, colleagues, friends, and families into their battle,” reads the longline.

The series will be produced by Happy Prince Productions, which is part of ITV Studios. Elliot Hegarty (“Ted Lasso”) will lead direct and exec produce episodes 1-3. Eliza Mellor (“The Midwich Cuckoos”) is series producer.

Dominic Treadwell-Collins (“A Very English Scandal”) will exec produce alongside Cooper, Alexander Lamb (“The Bay”), literary agent Felicity Blunt, writer Laura Wade and Lee Mason, director of scripted content for Disney...

Disney+ has greenlit a new eight-part series titled Rivals, based on the popular novel by British author Jilly Cooper.

Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 when a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black, and his Rutshire neighbor Tony Baddingham, controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television.

As tensions rise and rivalries deepen, there are spilled secrets, forged alliances, and snatched liaisons that draw wives, lovers, colleagues, friends, and families into their battle.

“The combination of Jilly Cooper and Disney+ is delightfully unexpected. We were thrilled when Dominic brought us these iconic books, and we leapt at the chance to bring them to life. We can’t wait to welcome Rupert Campbell-Black and the residents of Rutshire to the platform,” said Lee Mason,...

Exclusive: Actor-producer Kit Harington has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

Harington broke out in 2011 in the starring role of Jon Snow on HBO’s critically-acclaimed, Emmy winning fantasy series, Game of Thrones, based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series by George R. R. Martin. Over the course of the show’s eight-season run, the part brought him seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, two Emmy nominations, and noms at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, among other accolades.

Harington most recently appeared in Marvel’s Eternals, the hit Amazon series Modern Love and Netflix’s Criminal: UK. In 2018, he exec produced and starred alongside Peter Mullan, Mark Gatiss and Liv Tyler in the HBO Max miniseries Gunpowder, which had him portraying his real-life ancestor, Catholic rebel Robert Catesby.

The actor has also appeared in films including the HBO...

The actor on his pandemic poetry jukebox, life lessons of the Moomins, the pros and cons of Twitter, and how to reboot regional theatre

Samuel West, 54, one of the best verse speakers of his generation, has played Hamlet, Anthony Blunt (twice) and recently become Siegfried Farnon in Channel 5’s All Creatures Great and Small; he is currently working on the second series. The son of Prunella Scales and Timothy West, he lives with his partner, the playwright Laura Wade, and their two daughters, aged six and three. West’s production of Wade’s The Watsons was due to open in the West End when the first lockdown struck.

What has been the best bit of home schooling?

Teaching my daughters chess. The three-year-old doesn’t really play yet but she knows how the pieces move. It teaches them pattern recognition, which helps with music and maths – and how to lose well and fight peacefully.

Three weeks after filmmaker Sam Mendes teamed up with Netflix to launch a $620K (£500K) fund to support the UK’s embattled theater workers, the pot has swollen to $2M (£1.6M) and counting.

Prominent figures to contribute include the estate of the late Peter Saunders and Lady Saunders, the UK theater impresario behind The Mousetrap, which joins Netflix as the headline supporter. The Mackintosh Foundation, Eileen Davidson Productions, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, and Linbury Trust have also donated.

Individuals to have given money include Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter, Imelda Staunton, Eddie Redmayne, Sonia Friedman, Caro Newling, Colin Firth, Hugh Bonneville, and Tom Hiddleston.

The team says they have also received $110,000 through the online platform Enthuse, including from Michaela Coel, Michael Frayn, David Hare, Nicholas Hytner, Armando Iannucci, Thea Sharrock, Mark Strong, Emma Thompson, Laura Wade, David Walliams and Edgar Wright.

The fund also revealed today that is has received...

Natalie Dormer ("Game of Thrones," "The Hunger Games"), James Norton ("Happy Valley," "Mr. Turner") and game designer Rhianna Pratchett ("Tomb Raider," "Heavenly Sword") were among the BAFTA jurors who this week selected this year's 18 "Breakthrough Brit" winners. These rising UK talents will get one-to-one mentoring, guidance sessions and networking opportunities — with tools to develop their skills and jumpstart their careers, "wherever they are in the world," as well as free access to BAFTA events for 12 months. This year's 18 BAFTA 'Breakthrough Brits' are: Alex Lawther, Actor Anna Valdez Hanks, Cinematographer Aysha Kala, Actress Catherine Woolley, Senior Games Designer Charlie Covell, Writer/ Actress Chris Davis, Games Developer Daisy-May Hudson, Producer/ Director Ed Perkins, Director Jenny Saunders, Producer Jessica Saunders, Games Sound Designer Laura Wade,...

In just a couple months, school will be out for the summer, but for the moment, class is in session with "The Riot Club." The latest from "An Education" director Lone Scherfig recently went into limited release, and today we have an exclusive clip from the film. Starring Sam Claflin, Max Irons, Douglas Booth, Natalie Dormer, Ben Schnetzer, and Jessica Brown Findlay, and adapted from Laura Wade's acclaimed 2010 play, “Posh” (she also wrote the screenplay), the film takes viewers inside the rotten inner-workings of The Riot Club at Oxford University. It's here where the wealthy, privileged, upper crust youth let their hair down in some truly noxious ways. And in this clip, you see them assembled, drinking with enthusiasm, and singing "God Save The Queen." "The Riot Club" is now playing in limited release and is available on VOD. Watch below.

Those of us who lead hapless lives know how frightening getting up in the morning can be. Instead of rising and embracing the daylight with an ardent cuddle and a zealous "Yahoo!" we see grey clouds overhead and wonder aloud, "What now?" Another egg carton with broken shells? A second bedbug infestation within twelve months? Still no replies to our Christian Mingles ad even though we've noted we can recite the Book of Revelation by heart in Latin?

Ah, if only we were born into a family of elites. The ultra-rich. Aristocrats with an enviable gene pool.

But instead we're impoverished and pear-shaped with squinty eyes and in need of Proactiv+.

On top of these misfortunes, we really know the gods are against us if while fingering the remote, we accidentally come across Joshua Jackson in The Skulls (2000), and begin to watch it out of inertia. This incapacitating thriller was inspired by Yale's secretive society,...

When The Riot Club debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last September, I predicted it would be your next favorite pretty-boys flick. Think The History Boys meets Skulls, but with satirical commentary on the English class system and a cast straight out of British GQ. Based on Laura Wade’s play Posh, the film follows a club of hedonistic wankers, including The Hunger Games’ Sam Claflin, Jupiter Ascending’s Douglas Booth, and The Host’s Max Irons. But no cast member has more to chew on than Claflin, whose character Alastair has spent his life living in the shadow of his older brother, and who actually stands on a table during a debauched formal dinner and makes a speech about how much he hates poor people. Claflin, for the record, grew up very much not posh in Ipswich, Suffolk. Vulture spoke to him by phone about playing the bad guy for once,...

“Nothing without joy, everything to excess.” For the 10 members of the all-male cloak and dagger society called The Riot Club, that is a motto to live by. All of them are among the hardest-working students at Oxford University and demand they play just as relentlessly as they work. Several of them are descendants of nobility or the UK’s most powerful political leaders. Fraternizing with any person beneath an upper-class status would be out of the question for several of them. As for ordinary men and women who disagree with their archaic, conservative values: watch out.

If spending time with the most elite of English swills sounds like a fun time at the movies, then The Riot Club should be a must-see. Anyone looking to mock the spoiled rotten virtues of the upper percentile of the 1%, though, will not find too much to heckle here. The film cannot boast the...

Oscar-nominated Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig’s The Riot Club, has a new trailer for its anticipated March 27 Us release. Scherfig is a Dogme 95-er and Oscar-nominated for her film An Education (2009). Although most of Scherfig’s eight films are romantic comedies, The Riot Club is darker material. In the film, young Oxford University students join a “Riot Club” and exercise their darkest thoughts about “poor people”; probably murder ensues. The cast is a chorus of rising Britons led by Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer, Downton Abbey‘s Jessica Brown Findlay, as well as Sam Claflin, Max Irons, and Douglas Booth. The film is an adaptation by Laura Wade of her own West End play, Posh.

Behind the camera Scherfig has been a creative and detailed director since her breakthrough film Italian for Beginners (2000), which won the Silver Berlin Bear in 2001. Watch the new trailer for The Riot Club below:

The...

yt id="Es-jm4iDRRQ" width="500" I could have seen The Riot Club at the Toronto Film Festival last year, but I feel like it's a film I've seen too many times before. Am I wrong or are you seeing something different herec Filthy. Rich. Spoiled. Rotten. A band of overprivileged rich boys run wild in this savagely funny satire of money, sex and power. In the elite realm of Oxford University, no society is more exclusive than The Riot Club, the ultra-selective fraternity for Britain's most privileged sons. When he's recruited to join, down-to-earth first-year student Miles (Max Irons) is at first amused--but he's about to get a taste of upper-crust entitlement at its ugliest when a hedonistic night of drinking and drugs spins out of control. Based on the play "Posh" by Laura Wade. Directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education, One Day) Starring: Holliday Grainger, Douglas Booth, Natalie Dormer,...

IFC Films has dropped a new trailer today for Lone Scherfig’s latest, The Riot Club. Based on Laura Wade’s West End play, Posh, the film follows the story of a young man at Oxford University as he attempts to gain acceptance into an exclusive, elitist fraternity. Think Neighbors through a stereotypical English lens.

The movie stars Max Irons as Miles Richards, whose every desire hinges upon joining the privileged group. The main bulk of the trailer serves to build up the prestige of the club, so as to possibly provide reason for why anyone would wish to be a member. Around the midway point it seems to veer into spoiler territory, but nevertheless, that first minute ought to entice potential viewers. While it’s yet to open in the U.S., the film did make its North American debut at last year’s Tiff, where it landed a crop of encouraging reviews.

Following up the Carey Mulligan-led An Education and the Anne Hathaway-led One Day, director Lone Scherfig is returning this year with The Riot Club. Adapted from Laura Wade‘s hit West End play, the project follows a group of Oxford University students who try to join the titular club, a dark and dangerous, but alluring upper-class group. We’ve now a […]...

★★★☆☆The last few years of Conservative government have provided ample opportunity for the left-leaning to condemn the Oxbridge elite prevalent in the higher echelons of British politics. Taking up that cause is An Education (2009) director Lone Scherfig's bright young toffs drama The Riot Club (2014), based on Laura Wade's West End play Posh. Starring a host of upcoming actors, it provides a peek behind the curtain of a fictionalised version of Oxford University's Bullingdon Club of which Prime Minister David Cameron, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Chancellor George Osborne were all members. It makes for entertaining viewing but its power is undermined by a ultimate lack of insight amongst the debauchery.

Based on Laura Wade's (also script writer here) play Posh, The Riot Club sees An Education director Lone Scherfig take us inside the hallowed halls of Oxford University, where lies the decadent and debauched world of the titular society. A fictionalised version of the real life Bullingdon Club, The Riot Club is made up of the schools top students (read: they come from money), whose activities within the club amount to nothing more than eating and boozing till they vomit into the black plastic bags provided. With the club two members short, freshman, and rivals, Miles (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Claflin) are quickly inducted in, stoking the fires of a barely hidden disdain the club has for the lower classes. With our 'heroes' painted liberally with the spoilt, rich kid brush, The Riot Club is a sometimes compelling, entirely uneasy watch. There isn't a member of the club you could call likable.

The Riot Club hits our movie screens today and our friend James Kleinmann got to chat with the cast about the movie directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education). The movie is based on the play Posh by Laura Wade.

Below we have interviews with Douglas Booth, Sam Claflin, Jessica Brown Findlay & Holliday Grainger, and Max Irons who all give their take on the play Posh and how they got involved in the movie adaptation.

Check out all the interviews below. The Riot Club is in cinemas today. You can see our review of the movie here.

The post Interviews – Douglas Booth, Sam Claflin, Jessica Brown Findlay & Holliday Grainger Talk The Riot Club appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Inspired by The Bullingdon Club – Oxford University’s exclusive, male-only society for future high-flyers – Laura Wade’s play Posh arrived on the eve of the 2010 general election that saw former Bullingdon members David Cameron and George Osbourne take centre stage in UK government. Director Lone Scherfig’s (An Education, One Day) adaptation of the play, arriving after four years of Conservative rule, should be the scathing destruction of upper-class pomposity we’ve been crying out for. Sadly, The Riot Club never feels clever enough to be a convincing social satire, and is about as subtle as Boris Johnson at a warehouse rave.

The eponymous club is a raucous, ten-man tribute to hedonism; a privileged group of ultra-rich Oxford boys who yearn for the days of a true upper-class, disgusted by the fact that people from all walks of life can get into Oxford nowadays. The film begins with a new...

Hooray for a good old-fashioned rich-bastard bashing. But they get the last laugh: These guys are the future masters of the universe. Hooray. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read (or seen) the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Hooray for a good old-fashioned rich-bastard bashing. Oh, don’t worry: They don’t have feelings, and even if they did, they wouldn’t care what us poor proles think of them. Anyway, they’ll get the last laugh: One of these guys is probably a future U.K. Prime Minister. Fictionally speaking, of course. Not at all based on the notorious Oxford University secret society the Bullingdon Club (David Cameron is a former member), this is a completely 100-percent made-up tale of Oxford’s Riot Club, a literal old boys club whose overprivileged, underhuman members enjoy...

Laura Wade’s story of privileged bad behaviour comes to the screen at a politically delicate moment for Britain’s ruling elite

This is coming out at an unfortunate historical moment; it shows a drunken bunch of well-off Oxford undergraduates destined for Establishment greatness, smashing up a country pub whose hard-working owner is … erm … Scottish. Some years ago, David Cameron was famously discomfited when a group photo emerged, showing him strutting and preening as a member of Oxford University’s Bullingdon Club, along with the rather less embarrassable Boris Johnson. They were a tiresome collection of rowdy middle-class popinjays on grants whose forebears in this association had been satirised by Evelyn Waugh in his 1928 novel Decline and Fall as the “Bollinger Club”.

Laura Wade’s stage play Posh reinvented the Bullingdon as the Riot Club, and Wade has now rewritten it for a screen version directed by Lone Scherfig, the...

Max Irons and Sam Claflin play two freshmen at Oxford who revel in the notoriety when they are invited to join the university's elitist brotherhood, 'The Riot Club'. But the rites of initiation pale by comparison when the rich boys descend on a quiet pub in the country for a special night of debauchery. The triple threat of peer pressure, privilege and alcohol is fiercely exposed by An Education director Lone Scherfig and her uniformly excellent cast in playwright Laura Wade's adaptation of her own stage hit 'Posh'.

Director Lone Scherfig; Screenwriter Laura Wade; Starring: Max Irons, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger, Douglas Booth, Jessica Brown Findlay; Running time: 107 mins; Certificate: 15

As timely as Laura Wade's acidic satirical drama Posh might have felt when it premiered at the Royal Court in 2010, its impact has been augmented in the four years of Coalition government that have followed, as Britain has come to be ruled entirely by the 1%. In adapting her own play for the screen, Wade has necessarily expanded its scope and thus diluted its bite, but this amorality tale about a barely-fictionalised Oxford drinking society still rings unpleasantly true.

"Filthy. Rich. Spoiled. Rotten," runs the spot-on tagline for Lone Scherfig's big screen adaptation, which centres on two Oxford freshers who are recruited to join the highly exclusive Riot Club, and become seduced and corrupted by its single-minded pursuit of hedonism. Miles (Max Irons) considers himself an outsider...

The Queen ought to give out medals for movies like The Riot Club, which does humanity the great service of gathering virtually every hot, young British actor of the moment on screen at once. Then again, I can't imagine the Queen sitting all the way through this film — based on Laura Wade's play "Posh," and directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education) — which may at first look like a romp about an elite Oxford undergraduate dining society but is at its core an effective skewering of upper class privilege.Gird your loins, ladies and gents of a certain persuasion, because what we have here is a similar but far better movie than that Joshua Jackson's Skull and Bones thriller, The Skulls populated with the buff, British 2014 version of the casts of Dead Poets Society or Young Guns 2. The Riot Club, we're told in flashback, was founded to honor...