Emily Atack has got an '80s makeover for Disney+ drama Rivals, as seen in its first teaser trailer and new official photos.
Atack is part of the all-star cast for the upcoming eight-part series, which is based on Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name.
Rivals is set in 1986 and focuses on the cutthroat world of independent television – with many of its key characters caught up in excess and drama both on and off-screen.
The teaser trailer gives a brief flavour of that drama – hinting at wild parties, affairs, political posturing, and scandalous secrets becoming common knowledge around Rutshire, the fictional county where Rivals is set.
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Atack plays Sarah Stratton, an ambitious socialite who's married to the recently-appointed deputy prime minister Paul Stratton (played by W1A's Rufus Jones).
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They move in high society circles including the likes of Corinium Television's controller Lord Tony Baddingham (played by David Tennant), and his neighbour and arch-rival, the Conservative Party MP Rupert Campbell-Black (played by The Boys' Alex Hassell).
A first look at Tennant and Hassell's characters was released last month, along with a glimpse at suave TV host Declan O'Hara (Poldark's Aidan Turner), who becomes caught up in Tony and Rupert's bitter feud.
Disney+ has also released new character photos for Declan's wife Maud O'Hara (played by Victoria Smurfit), Caitlin O'Hara (Enola Holmes 2's Catriona Chandler), plus Danny Dyer's self-made electronics entrepreneur Freddie Jones.
Freddie is described as something of an outsider in Rutshire, until Rupert and Tony bring him a business proposition that could change his life.
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The new stills also feature Freddie's wife Valerie Jones (played by Lisa McGrillis), TV presenter James Vereker (The Crown's Oliver Chris), and two more members of the Baddingham family – Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham and Skins star Luke Pasqualino as Bas Baddingham, Tony's younger brother.
Rivals' large ensemble cast also includes Here We Go's Katherine Parkinson as romance novelist Lizzie Vereker, who's married to James, plus Black Lightning's Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook, an American TV executive who's been headhunted to produce Declan's TV show.
They're joined by Sex Education's Bella Maclean as Taggie O'Hara, Declan's strong-willed oldest daughter, and The Split's Annabel Scholey as a ruthless journalist named Beattie Johnson.
Cooper previously said of the show: "I couldn't have dreamed of a better ensemble cast. I cannot wait to be on set and see them bring the characters I love so much to life. Viewers are in for a treat!"
Rivals will premiere later in 2024, streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK and the rest of the world.
Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
Kate's team at Digital Spy were proudly nominated in the Best Subbing/Production Team category at the BSME Talent Awards 2022. Over the years, she has contributed to coverage of many, many Prime Days and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and was part of the team that launched the DS weekly TV newsletter in November 2019 – followed by the Top of the Shops e-commerce newsletter in May 2024.
Kate's screen passions include Taskmaster (their biggest career regret remains turning down the opportunity to visit the house), nature documentaries, and live sport (up there with the greatest of all soap operas although if asked to choose, it's Corrie… every time).
Her highlights while working at DS have included interviewing Stevie Nicks on the red carpet for her documentary In Your Dreams, sitting at a press roundtable with Formula 1 commentary icon Murray Walker, watching a life-sized LEGO car being driven around Silverstone, writing an album-by-album retrospective of Lady Gaga's genre-defying career for Living Legends, and raising awareness of receiving and understanding a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis through the lens of Bianca and Freddie's EastEnders storyline.
Upon remembering to log off the internet, Kate enjoys live theatre, dance and comedy, appreciating nature, baking (badly), tending a recently-rented allotment (equally badly) and pampering one very spoiled rescue cat named Jolene.
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