As if the return of Rivals couldn’t get any more exciting, Disney+ has revealed that the show’s Pandora Sykes-hosted podcast will also be back.
Rivals: The Official Podcast will accommodate the award-winning Hulu Original’s season two launch on May 15, hosted by the journalist, broadcaster and Rivals superfan, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. “It’s such a joy to be back,” said Sykes. “I cannot wait to dive back into the fabulous and naughty world of Rutshire.”
Across the pod — produced by Platform Media, also the creator of The Traitors: Uncloaked — viewers and listeners can expect to delve deeper into each episode of the wildly popular British drama, as guests discuss the wonderful world of Dame Jilly Cooper, character arcs, the joys and challenges of bringing 1980s television and naughtiness to life, and share exclusive behind-the-scenes secrets.
The star-studded list of guests includes all the returning Rutshire rascals: David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook, Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker, and Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones.
Pandora Sykes, host of ‘Rivals: The Podcast’
Courtesy of Disney+
Victoria Smurfit as Maud O’Hara, Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham, Oliver Chris as James Vereker, Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones, and Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton will also feature on the podcast, with Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton, Luca Pasqualino as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham, Annabel Scholey as Beattie Johnson and Gary Lamont as Charles Fairburn.
They’ll join creators and executive producers Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade, and director Elliot Hegarty.
The podcast will launch on Disney+ and wherever you get your podcasts, in line with season two. New episodes will roll out through to the finale. The Hulu Original series, made by ITV Studios’ Happy Prince, returns in two six-episode batches, with the second batch following later in the year.
Rivals won the hearts of fans and critics alike upon its 2024 launch. It became Disney+’s most-viewed general entertainment series in Britain and its best U.K. drama launch of that year. The show, adapted from Jilly Cooper’s beloved books, is set against the backdrop of the stunning Cotswolds countryside and the glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television.
In August, Disney+ confirmed that Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett would be joining the series.
