David Tennant’s Tony Baddingham looked stony faced as he mourned his late wife’s death at her funeral in first look images for the second part of Rivals series two.
The first installment of the season ended on a huge cliffhanger when Monica Baddingham was crushed by a tree while driving during a brutal storm.
Rivals viewers will discover what happens after the tragic moment when the first three episodes of six will drop on November 11, with weekly releases of the remaining three episodes following after.
The newly unveiled images offer a gripping first look at what’s to come as the residents of Rutshire have been left reeling from tragedy, scandal and betrayal.
Picking up after the gut-wrenching mid-series finale, Tony and Declan O’Hara’s (Aidan Turner) battle for the Cotswolds crown reaches fever pitch, while Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is forced to confront his own personal demons.
In the six episode, Caitlin, who was a passenger in Monica’s car and survives the crash, was with her when she planned to confront Tony about his affair with Maud O’Hara (Victoria Smurfit).
Monica had plans to finally leave philandering Tony, who is later told by Rupert (Aidan Turner) that his wife has been killed.
In the next part of the series, viewers will see Tony and the rest of Monica’s friends and family attend her funeral.
David Tennant looked stony faced as he mourned his late wife’s death at her funeral in first look images for the second part of Rivals series two
Monica had plans to finally leave philandering Tony, who is told by Rupert Campbell Black (pictured) that his wife has been killed
They will also witness Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinso) after they finally agreed to stop fighting their feelings for each other.
After Lizzie’s conversation with Monica before her death, she realises that she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life trapped in an unhappy marriage.
She goes to Freddie and tells him: ‘I can’t be without you. I mean, I don’t want to.’
A snapshot from the upcoming episodes shows them staring intensely at each other, suggesting their romance will continue.
Against a backdrop of parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify.
Basil Baddingham is still pursuing Taggie O’Hara and they are seen looking cosy on Bonfire Night in one of the preview images.
Taggie has long had her sights set on Rupert, but will Basil prove enough of a distraction to keep her away from temptation?
Rivals viewers have had a frustrating wait after the midseason finale concluded with a major cliffhanger.
Set against the backdrop of hurricane weather, the series’ main story thread of Tony affair with Maud, the wife of his nemesis Declan finally come to a head.
As the stormy weather displaced key characters around the mansions and manors of Rutshire the episode ended with a shock death. The sixth episode concluded the first half of series two.
They will also witness Freddie and Lizzie after they finally agreed to stop fighting their feelings for each other and begin a passionate affair
Elsewhere, Basil Baddingham is still pursuing Taggie O’Hara and they are seen looking cosy on Bonfire Night in one of the preview images
Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) is dressed in a tuxedo during a party
Rivals viewers will discover what happens after the tragic moment when the first episode of the second half of the series drop on November 11
Sharing their frustrations at the time, viewers said: ‘Rivals release schedule is terrible. they’re gonna kill the momentum of the show and I doubt they will do a lot of promo during the break.’
‘I would rather wait for a late summer release instead of waiting for 6 months between the two parts,’ said one fan on social media.
Others have welcomed the decision to split the series though, with one viewer pointing out:
‘My unpopular opinion is that people are massively overreacting about the rivals season split. wdym people won’t care? it ended on a cliffhanger last time and we were gagging for s2. 12 episodes is a lot for a british show — it’s like getting two seasons in a year!’
Ahead of the midseason break critics had declared that series two more than lives up to its opening run, with a string of five-star reviews heralding its return to screens last month.
Based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel, the comedy-drama debuted on Disney+ in October 2024 and immediately became a huge hit. The eight-episode first series ended in October 2024 and was soon renewed for a second outing.
Critics previewing the first four episodes unanimously praised the second outing.
Sarah Dempster for The Guardian gave the show five stars but mused ‘how best to reward such exquisitely knowing escapism? Ten stars? Ten thousand stars? Rivals is beyond earthly praise.’
As the stormy weather displaced key characters around the mansions and manors of Rutshire the episode ended with a shock death. The sixth episode concluded the first half of series two
Set against the backdrop of hurricane weather, the series’ main story thread of Tony’s affair with Maud
The Telegraph‘s Benji Wilson agreed with another five-star write-up, as he declared that ‘Rivals continues to refresh the parts that other television cannot reach – a heady mix of guilty pleasure, trenchant satire, rambunctious comedy and out-and-out trash.’
Carol Midgley for The Times said ‘despite its deliberate corniness, this is also gloriously uplifting television. It is unashamedly celebratory and perhaps even better than the last series’.
Den Of Geek‘s Lacy Baugher praised the show’s ‘sprawling cast’ who ‘remain thoroughly excellent throughout’.
Baugher singled out Emily Atack ‘who steals much of this run of episodes, and makes her Sarah feel indispensable to the larger world of Rutshire in ways few of us likely expected’.
Rebecca Nicholson for the Financial Times was one of the few to not award five stars, giving the second series three instead.
‘Some of the storylines, particularly those about the TV industry, drag a little,’ she wrote. ‘Rivals needs more slapstick, more of those capers, to keep things as light as they need to be for it to really work… Rivals is at its strongest when it embraces its silly side, and accepts its lot as a jolly old romp.’
Nick Hilton for The Independent knocked one star off but said there was plenty to rave about, particularly in the acting. ‘There is a sense, across the cast, that everyone is enjoying themselves immensely, whether they’re romping on a pony or romping on a staircase,’ he writes.
‘That’s what makes Rivals such a rare treat in today’s television landscape. It is well-written and well-acted, but it aspires to nothing more than being fun. Real, associable human emotions are kept at arm’s length in favour of stylised bucolic horniness.’
Rivals series two episodes one to six are available to stream now on Disney+
