THE HIGHLY anticipated drama Rivals has finally premiered on Disney+ and it is packed full of familiar faces.
Alongside actors like David Tennant, Emily Atack and Aidan Turner, the eight-part drama also stars Coronation Street legend Denise Black – but did you spot her?
Coronation Street legend Denise Black has joined the cast of Rivals[/caption]
She plays David Tennant’s secretary[/caption]
Denise, 66, is best known for playing Denise Osbourne in the ITV soap from 1992 to 2017.
Now she’s taken on a new role playing Joyce Madden, the assistant to TV station boss Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant).
She filmed her scenes last year for the new Hulu series, which is available to stream on Disney+ for viewers in the U.K.
Denise looks unrecognisable in the series, sporting classic 80s fashion, short blonde hair, and thinly famed glasses.
Upon first glance, Joyce appears to be nothing more than a serious and straight-laced secretary, but it quickly becomes clear that Denise’s character is full of wit.
While speaking to Cameron (Nafessa Williams) in one scene, the sassy secretary says, “I’m not paid to have opinions” before she immediately speaks her mind to the drama producer.
Alongside playing Joyce on Rivals and Denise on Corrie, the TV star has also appeared in Emmerdale, Prime Video’s cancelled hit My Lady Jane and popular detective drama Grantchester.
What is Rivals about?
Rivals is a raunchy drama set in the 1980s in the fictional countryside county of Rutshire. Adapted from Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel of the same name, it follows the intense rivalry between TV station controller Tony and charismatic ex-Olympian and Conservative MP Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell).
The rich men regularly butt heads over money and women, but they’re ready to go to war over the TV company Corinium Television.
With the future of Corinium Television hanging in the balance, the two are at odds, each determined to emerge victorious.
Tony owns Corinium and hopes that with the help of his new drama producer Cameron and presenter Declan O’Hara (Aiden Turner), it will be enough to emerge victorious.
But racy actions in the bedroom and boardroom make for an unpredictable storyline, so anything could happen.
Rivals’ all-star cast also features Eastenders star Danny Dyer, The Inbetweeners’ alum Emily Atack, Rufus Jones of W1A fame, Our Girl’s Luke Pasqualino and Bella Maclean from Sex Education.
The series, which premiered today (October 18) on Disney+ has already garnered dozens of rave reviews who have called it “magnificent.”
David Tennant’s Career Highlights
David Tennant has become one of the UK’s most prolific actors with countless films and TV shows under his belt.
Among one of his most notable roles is his portrayal of the tenth Doctor in Doctor Who in which he appeared regularly between 2007 and 2010.
Proving popular with fans, he returned in both 2013 and 2023 to play the character once again.
One of David’s most acclaimed and series roles was that of DI Alec Hardy in ITV’s crime drama Broadchurch.
The show ran between 2013 and 2017 and went on to be nominated, and win, a slew of top TV gongs.
In recent years, he appeared in three series of the show Staged before going on to portray Alexander Litvinenko in the ITV1 dramatisation Litvinenko.
Another fan gushed: “Rivals is everything I expected and more! 80s hair, music and debauchery! I love it!”
With reviews like those, it’s no wonder there’s already talk of a second series.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but a TV Insider teased that “there is still so much more in the story.”
Series 1 of Rivals is available to stream on Disney+ now.
