Which Rivals Character Are You?

Learn More About Rivals

Rivals is the Disney+ and Hulu adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s bestselling 1988 novel, the second book in her famous Rutshire Chronicles. Set in the fictional English county of Rutshire in the mid-1980s, the series dives headfirst into the glamorous, cutthroat world of independent regional television, where fortunes, reputations and marriages are all up for grabs. It premiered in October 2024 and quickly became one of the most talked-about British dramas of the year.

At the center of the story is the bitter feud between Rupert Campbell-Black, the Olympic show-jumping champion turned Conservative MP and notorious ladies’ man, and Lord Tony Baddingham, the ruthless managing director of Corinium Television. When Tony lures celebrated broadcaster Declan O’Hara to Rutshire, he sets off a chain reaction of power plays, affairs and betrayals that pulls in nearly everyone in the county.

Alex Hassell plays Rupert with a mix of arrogance and vulnerability, while David Tennant is a scene-stealer as the scheming Tony Baddingham — a far cry from his turns in Doctor Who and Good Omens. Aidan Turner plays the principled Declan O’Hara, Bella Maclean is his kind-hearted daughter Taggie, and Nafessa Williams plays Cameron Cook, the brilliant American TV producer who refuses to be anyone’s pawn.

The show was developed for television by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, with Jilly Cooper herself serving as an executive producer. Critics praised its unapologetic sense of fun, its period detail and its frank, often hilarious approach to romance — it is equal parts boardroom thriller, country-house soap and 1980s time capsule, complete with big hair, shoulder pads and an extraordinary amount of champagne.

Season 2 picks up the fallout from the explosive Season 1 finale, as the battle for the Corinium franchise intensifies and the relationships at the heart of the show are pushed to breaking point. The second half of Season 2 returns on Disney+ and Hulu on November 11, 2026, and the show has already been renewed for a third season.

Part of the fun of Rivals is that nobody is purely a hero or a villain. Rupert is charming and careless, Tony is cruel but deeply insecure, Declan is admirable but stubborn, Taggie is gentle but determined, and Cameron is ambitious, guarded and fiercely talented. Fans tend to see a bit of themselves in all of them — which is exactly why this quiz exists.

Answer eight quick questions about your weekends, your weaknesses and how you deal with a rival, and we will match you with the Rutshire resident who shares your energy. If you love period drama with a scandalous streak, you might also enjoy our Bridgerton quiz, our Downton Abbey quiz and our Gilded Age quiz.