Unrivalled cast

The cast of Rivals, based on Dame Jilly Cooper's bonkbuster novel, reads like a Who's Who of television... but the real question is who's under who.

- NICOLA METHVEN

Screenplay writer Dominic Treadwell-Collins says he has stuck to the book's red-hot action in adapting it into a TV series for Disney+.

Former Time Lord David Tennant is playing another Lord, Tony Baddingham, head of a regional TV station, who embarks on an affair with the New York hotshot he hires to make sure his franchise is renewed.

His upper-crust wife, played by Sherwood's Claire Rushbrook, has no idea. Tennant, 53, admits bedroom scenes with US actress Nafessa Williams were awkward, but felt there was safety in numbers. He says: "I mean, sex scenes are never comfortable, you know? But again, because everyone was in the same boat..."

There shouldn't be any jealousy from his real wife Georgia though - a huge fan of Dame Jilly's books, she encouraged him to take the role.

Poldark's Aidan Turner was another of the cast having to film sexy scenes.

Now playing TV interviewer Declan O'Hara, he thinks his new, moustachioed role could earn him even more fans than Ross Poldark did.

In the story Declan's actress wife Maud, played by former Ballykissangel star Victoria Smurfit, gave up her career t have children and i now bored and pron to playing away.

They move t fictional Rutshir from London, whe dashing Declan i poached for a new show by Tony.