This article contains spoilers for Rivals season 2.
Rivals star David Tennant spoke exclusively to Digital Spy about the impact of Lady Monica's death following the show's mid-season finale, stating: "Are you kidding, the world is never going to be the same!"
Tony's life exploded when Monica (Claire Rushbrook) discovered his affair with close friend Maud (Victoria Smurfit). The fallout of the reveal led to Monica's bold decision to divorce her husband and take more control of her life. However, the final took a tragic turn for the worst when the character was killed by a falling tree as she drove in the middle of a storm.
Tennant shared his experience of working with Rushbrook on those intense and emotional scenes in the show when he told Digital Spy: "Every one of those scenes was so powerful and great to play actually because it's extreme moments in someone's life. It is a real pleasure and a privilege."
Sharing what to expect from the back half of Rivals season two, Tennant revealed: "The world of Rutshire has ruptured." The actor teased the impact Monica's demise will have on his character going forward.
"He is unhinged now, he is unfettered, he is unanchored," Tennant said. "She was his absolute centre. She was his home; she was what grounded him as she was what kept him sane. All of those things [are] what he dearly, dearly needs, that steadiness, that security, that constant in his life which is why it's particularly devastating for him going forward."
What to Read Next
Disney+ has revealed that Rivals season two, part two will return with a brand new batch of episodes in November. The news was accompanied by a brand new trailer and a synopsis for the second half of the season which teased: "As Tony Baddingham and Declan O'Hara's (Aidan Turner) contest for the Cotswolds crown hits a fever pitch, Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is forced to confront his own personal demons."
It continued: "Across hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Caught in the middle of the frenzied franchise battle, Taggie O'Hara (Bella Maclean) must find the courage to follow her heart while everyone else faces the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that they can no longer hide."
The trailer also shows new cast member Rachael Stirling in the role of Lady Monica Baddingham's "vampish younger sister" Araminta Pemberton. She will be joined by Santiago Cabrera as Argentinian Polo legend Alejandro Mendoza as well as Rupert Evans, who plays the "erudite headmaster" David Hawkley.
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+ now.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
