David Tennant talks pressure of "expectation" ahead of Rivals role

"I mean, people love this book and it has meant a great deal to people for generations now so that always takes a bit of a deep breath, knowing that you’re taking something on that you don’t want to break because there are people who have very clear ideas of what these characters are or have expectations for what they’re looking for."

He continued: "But, at the end of the day, you’re just going to go, ‘I have a script and I have the version of the characters that I can give you, this is how it occurs to me and these are the people I’m working with’.

"It felt like such a well-appointed cast and such a – you looked round and thought, ‘This is all perfectly cast all around me. Unless they got it really wrong with me, I must be able to bring something to this,' so yeah, you just kind of have to take a deep breath and dive in.”

In the new Disney Plus series, Tennant takes on the slightly villainous role of Tony Baddingham, the managing director of Corinium Television who will stop at nothing to make sure his network is at the top of its game.

The new eight-part drama, which premieres next week, will see Tennant's Baddingham come up against former Olympic showjumper turned Conservative politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and TV presenter Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner) in a bid for power over Rutshire's independent television provider.

Read more:

• David Tennant: 'Rivals sex scenes aren't something I look forward to'
• Aidan Turner doesn't think Rivals fans will be disappointed with Disney Plus adaptation

Of course, Rivals is based on the famed Jilly Cooper novel of the same name, which was published back in 1988 and is part of her well-known Rutshire Chronicles series.

The show's official synopsis teases that the show is packed "full of romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit".

It continues: "Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986."

Tennant previously told RadioTimes.com that even though sex is integral to the new adaptation, those scenes weren't ones he looked forward to doing.

He admitted: "Part of the story is about how people manage their sexuality – for good, for ill, in positive ways, in negative ways.

"That’s part of what Jilly wrote, and that’s the story that we decided to tell, and I think it’s important that you meet that and you don’t shy away from it.

"Part of your job as an actor, I suppose, is to get over yourself, because you’re trying to tell... you’re trying to let people into the intimate lives of these characters and what that reveals about them."

Rivals will be released on Disney Plus on 18th October 2024. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.

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