'Growing up in Paisley was rather different from the posh set in the Cotswolds'
David Tennant on playing the divisive character of Tony, the one character he thinks is truly good — and the shock of losing Jilly Cooper
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- Emma Cox
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You were a teenager in the eighties. Does Rivals make you nostalgic?
Being at secondary school in Paisley was rather different from the posh set in the Cotswolds – but I recognise the decade I lived through. There was a sense that this world was happening somewhere, and there was something aspirational about the excess, which was appalling and alluring at the same time, with the big hair and the ‘greed is good’ mentality.
What were you like in the eighties?
I was in hand-me-down school uniforms which never quite fitted. I bought charity shop clothes like a boot-lace tie that I was very pleased with, and a bolero jacket. I had short spiky hair on top and a long, flat bit down the back. I was trying to channel Bono from U2.
Your career began just a few years after the period depicted in Rivals. Did you ever encounter any of the intense rivalry or misogyny depicted?
Not at close quarters. We almost giggle at the sexual politics when we see it in Rivals, because it feels so implausible now. That gives me hope that the world is moving in a vaguely progressive direction.
David Tennant as Tony Baddingham. Disney
So, to quote the show, you don’t have to be a *** to work in TV these days?!*
Not quite such a ****, but it's a sliding scale! As an industry, we’re good at recognising where we've gone wrong, although we’re not always successful in addressing it. There’s room for improvement.
Was there a certain innocence about that world without camera phones and social media?
It’s both innocent and pure and, at the same time, deranged in terribleness. There are only a couple of characters that you would want to spend time with. As an audience member, that's delicious, because you can enjoy the dastardliness whilst having the safety of distance.
Who are the characters you’d want to spend time with?
Taggie’s the only truly good person. Lizzie’s lovely, but she’s having an extra-marital affair, so she’s not off the hook entirely. Tony’s wife Monica is fairly pure of heart, but she's a dreadful snob. Tony's just a piece of work.
David Tennant as Tony Baddingham in Rivals season 2. Disney Plus
Do you have anything in common with Tony?
I must do, because he's delivered through the prism of me. Maybe you should ask my wife. Luckily she’s not here, otherwise I may not come across very well!
Do you feel the sex scenes in Rivals are a necessary part of the storytelling?
The sex is how we understand these characters. We might portray it more candidly than other dramas do, and there’s a lot of it, but every one of those scenes is there for a purpose. Hopefully it's done with an openness and joyfulness, that allows the audience to not be grossed out.
How affected were you by Jilly’s death?
It was shocking, because there was no sense of her being diminished. She was so alive and vital, then suddenly she was gone. There’s a great sadness that she's not around to see this second series being let loose, but her presence runs through every scene like a stick of rock.
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Rivals season 2 is coming to Disney+ on Friday 15 May 2026.
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Emma Cox
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