David Tennant has been spotted as Lord Tony Baddingham on set of the hotly-anticipated second season of Rivals.
The raunchy TV war romper will return to Rutshire for round 2 of the Jilly Cooper’s adaptation.
In a photo obtained by Digital Spy, Tennant is outside the Corundum Television studios with co-star Antony Byrne, who plays Tony’s right-hand man Ginger Baines.
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There, Tony greets Maud O’Hara (Victoria Smurfit), who steps out of her Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in a dramatic entrance.
Declan’s (Aidan Turner) on-again, off-again wife Maud deliberately lets her sunglasses slip to the ground, only to scoop them up again with a cheeky, seductive flourish, prompting a flirty exchange with Tony.
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The Doctor Who star is really leaning into the 1980s fashion for his big return as Tony, rocking square glasses, suspenders and a combo of navy, striped slacks and a red polka dot tie.
While Tony seems to be doing well, at least judging by this snap, his fate had previously been left ambiguous after he suffered a major injury at the end of season 1.
In May this year, it was confirmed that Tennant would reprise the role of Tony. This means that the character has recovered from the head injury that producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams) gave him by attacking him with the award they’d just won.
Tennant is joined by a host of returning stars from season 1. Not just Williams – Alex Hassell is also back as Tony’s rival Rupert Campbell-Black, as well as Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara, Victoria Smurfit as his wife Maud O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker, and Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones.
Sanne Gault//Disney+
Meanwhile, two newcomers have also joined the cast. Announced just yesterday, Rivals season 2 has just welcomed Marvel star Hayley Atwell and My Best Friend’s Wedding’s Rupert Everett.
Atwell is set to play Helen Gordon, Rupert’s (Alex Hassell) ex-wife and the mother of his two children, while Everett will portray Helen’s latest husband Malise Gordon.
Rivals will return to Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK and internationally. All episodes of Rivals season one are currently available to stream on Disney+.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).