Where You've Seen The Cast Of ‘Rivals’ Before
Rivals is back with another season, and it has one of the best casts on TV. It’s a big one, too. So big that this list could easily be triple in size. Rivals juggles all of its characters with ease and the actors themselves deliver performances that should exist in every award show circuit.
The show is based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s book with the same name, and with high-octane drama and big romantic moments, the cast shows up and threads the needle in every season. It’s all tied together in competition between regional TV franchises, with the backdrop of the ‘80s. You can watch the Rivals cast in these movies and TV shows on Peacock, Prime Video, and more!
David Tennant as Tony Baddingham
David Tennant plays Tony Baddingham, the vengeful managing director of Corinium Television, on Rivals. When wondering where you’ve seen Tennant before this, it may be better to start with where you haven’t seen him. He has an extensive filmography that spans genres. There’s a great chance that you’ve seen him as the Tenth or Fourteenth Doctor in the long-running science fiction series, Doctor Who (2005).
That may be his most well-known and beloved role, but Tennant is also incredible in a more grounded dramatic sense as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy in Broadchurch (2013). He’s also skilled in voice work, such as Scrooge McDuck in DuckTales (2017) or Huyang in Ahsoka (2023). Most recently, he starred in another book-to-screen adaptation, appearing as Ian Ventham in The Thursday Murder Club (2025).
One to watch: If you want to see David Tennant’s most bone-chilling performance that I still haven’t been able to shake, you must watch him as Kilgrave in Jessica Jones (2015).
Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black
Alex Hassell is the charming, former Olympic showjumper Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals. He offers a more unnerving performance as Paul in Wastemen (2025), opposite Tom Blyth and David Jonsson. His range continues with Rick Polanco, Mia’s (Sophie Wilde) supportive father in the one-season-only Everything Now (2023).
It’s so easy to make a joke about missing him in this—both because of his character’s powerset and the number of episodes he appeared in. It’s one of my favorite facts, as a Rivals fan, that Hassell appeared in three episodes in Season 1 of The Boys (2019) as Translucent. Then, he flexed a different genre muscle as Metatron in Season 3 of His Dark Materials (2019).
One to watch: If you want to be entirely immersed in a dramatic performance by Alex Hassell, I can’t suggest his turn as the titular character in Royal Shakespeare Company: Henry V (2015) enough.
Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara
Bella Maclean made her acting debut as Tallulah in the short La La Means I Love You (2018). Since then, she’s had more roles in shorts and minor roles, like two episodes as Sara Mendes in the crime drama Silent Witness (1996). It’s absolutely wild to me that she hasn’t been featured more prominently in more projects. If it were up to me, Maclean would be in everything. She holds her own in the incredible roster that is the Rivals cast.
Speaking of, she stars as Taggie O’Hara in Rivals, the show’s forgiving and kind moral compass in many ways. Taggie is in a will-they-won’t-they age-gap romance with Hassell’s Rupert—one of the fan-favorite aspects of the show. Alternatively, Maclean also recurred in Sex Education’s (2019) fourth and final season, which isn’t my favorite of the coming-of-age series. That said, Maclean delivers an endearing performance as a new character, Jem, who shares all of her scenes with Adam (Connor Swindells).
One to watch: If you want to see the appeal of Maclean’s dialed-in work in even a minor role, it’s well worth watching Sex Education Season 4.
Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook
Nafessa Williams stars as the incredibly skilled television producer, Cameron Cook, on Rivals. But before I fell in love with her performance there, I met Williams as Anissa Pierce/Thunder on CW’s Black Lightning (2018). There, I feel for Anissa’s romance with Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy). I’d argue that the superhero family drama is Williams’s breakout role as much as it is one of the most underrated shows in the Arrow (2012) universe.
Her on-screen presence is instantly compelling, making her a scene-stealer in practically every project that she appears in. For instance, Williams also has smaller but memorable roles in other projects. She guest stars as Jade in the Twin Peaks (2017) revival and as Dr. Charlotte Piel in Season 2 of Code Black (2015). She even has a staple for any actor—a holiday movie—in A Holiday Chance (2021) in her filmography.
One to watch: Black Lightning is the longest that Nafessa Williams has spent with a character, and it shows in her nuanced performance as Anissa Pierce.
Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones
Danny Dyer stars as the tech-giant (in the ‘80s) Freddie Jones in Rivals, but he made quite the name for himself as Mick Carter in EastEnders (1985). How could he not, with over a thousand episodes in 10 years, starting in 2013? It’s there that he also first crossed paths with Rivals executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who also worked on EastEnders.
I know that Dyer’s performance as Moff in the cult classic Human Traffic (1999) is mostly considered his breakout role. But I am also such a fan of his as Tommy Johnson in The Football Factory (2004). On the opposite end of the spectrum, Dyer is also fantastic as Lee, the lead of the comedy Mr. Bigstuff (2024). He’s such a versatile actor, and that really comes through in Rivals.
One to watch: I’m of the mind that everyone needs to see Danny Dyer’s unforgettable performance as Mick Carter at least once, so it’s going to be EastEnders.
Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker
Katherine Parkinson is Lizzie Vereker, a writer in an unhappy marriage, in Rivals. I first met her as the scene-stealing Isola Pribby in the deeply underrated The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018). There is a chance that a lot of people likely ran into her work through the uber-popular Sherlock (2010), where she appeared in one Season 2 episode as Kitty Riley.
Lead or not, Katherine Parkinson has become quite skilled at balancing heart and humor in performances. She does it as Lizzie in Rivals, but she’s also received critical acclaim for her ability to do so in other roles. She recently won a BAFTA for her role as Rachel Jessop in the sitcom Here We Go (2022). Parkinson really sharpened her comedic timing over the five seasons she played Jen Barber in The IT Crowd (2006).
One to watch: I am desperate for more people to watch The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and doing so to see Parkinson’s charming performance is reason enough.
Luca Pasqualino as Basil Baddingham
Luca Pasqualino shines as Basil “Bas” Baddingham, the fun-loving business owner and Tony’s half-brother in Rivals. I first met Pasqualino through his performance as Freddie in Skins (2007), which resulted in one of my earliest TV heartbreaks. Ironically, Pasqualino came back to return the favor as David Kostyk in Shadow and Bone (2021)—one of my most recent heartbreaks. That show deserved just one more season to wrap things up, and I’ll never be over it.
Pasqualino is also no stranger to big franchises. He played William Adama in Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (2012) and Wulf in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024). Most recently, he had a guest-starring role as JP Brownlee in Season 2 of Criminal Record (2024).
One to watch: Luca Pasqualino is criminally charming as D'Artagnan in the entirely underrated The Musketeers (2014).
Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara
Aidan Turner may be journalist Declan O’Hara in Rivals, but people forget that he’s made quite a name for himself in genre stories. I think I was first introduced to him as Luke, a werewolf, in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013). Then, I learned that he left his role as Mitchell, a vampire, in the underrated supernatural series Being Human (2009) for another role in one of the world’s biggest franchises.
That’s right, Turner portrays The Lord of the Rings film franchise’s Kili, starting with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). No matter the world, Aidan Turner is excellent at bringing the stakes in a drama series, like he did when he guest-starred as Callum Ellis in Season 3 of The Diplomat (2023). It was his addition that gave me the extra push I needed to start the show.
One to watch: The perfect lead-in to Declan O’Hara is Aidan Turner’s swoon-worthy performance as Ross Poldark in Poldark (2015).
Victoria Smurfit as Maud O’Hara
Victoria Smurfit brings the theatrical Maud O’Hara to life on Rivals, and it’s really no wonder she’s as compelling as she is on screen. Including a memorable supporting performance as Suzie in About a Boy (2002), Smurfit has spent quite a long time with most of the characters she’s known for in her career. Therefore, she’s great at character-building.
Some people may recognize her from her breakout role as Orla O’Connell on Ballykissangel (1996). She also came into the long-running Trial & Retribution (1997) as DCI Roisin Connor and led its later seasons. Spending 24 episodes with each character of those shows, Smurfit made them her own. She’s doing the same with Maud in Rivals, as she returns for its second season.
One to watch: Victoria Smurfit’s take on Cruella de Vil is one of the few bright spots of Once Upon a Time’s (2011) later seasons.
Emily Atack as Sara Stratton
Emily Atack is a total scene stealer as the wonderfully ambitious Sarah Stratton in Rivals. Atack brings that same energy to her other work. She had her breakthrough role as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners (2008). Since then, she’s had many different experiences on screen, making her a truly versatile talent.
She played a mom and band manager on Almost Never (2019) before tackling Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip (2022), a sweet adventure series with Ruby Wax and Mel B. Atack has also had her very own sketch comedy show called The Emily Atack Show (2020) and a documentary called Emily Atack: Asking for It? (2023) about online sexual harassment. Her career has taken her to so many places, and all of them contribute to the incredible performance she delivers in Rivals.
One to watch: I really can’t understate how utterly excellent Emily Atack is in Rivals.
