Rivals cast confirm the late Jilly Cooper's involvement in season 3 plans and "everyone's on board"

It has been confirmed that author Jilly Cooper knew the plans for season three of Rivals before she passed away.

Two of the show's cast members, Alex Hassell and Aidan Turner, made an appearance on Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden on Tuesday morning (10 November) ahead of season 2, part 2 premiering tomorrow (Wednesday 11 November).

They revealed that the late Cooper knew of the plans and storylines for another run of episodes before she died of a fatal head injury, following a fall at home in October 2025.

Related: Rivals season 2's twisty second half serves up a never-ending source of delicious revenge

“Everyone’s on board,” Hassell said. “I believe Jilly had seen a bunch of the breakdowns of stories they were planning for season 3, as well as all of the scripts for the rest of season 2 so that feels nice.”

Rivals is based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Cooper. It is the second book in a series titled the Rutshire Chronicles.

The Disney+ period comedy-drama first hit the streaming platform in autumn 2024, before part 1 of the second season began in May 2026.

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Ahead of the new Rivals episodes becoming available, Aidan Turner (who portrays former BBC journalist Declan O'Hara) said he once attended one of Cooper's famous parties and disclosed something he witnessed during his time there.

“Well, I did see a couple of people behind a bush,” Turner recalled. “A couple of cast members that nobody else really knows about. I’m sworn to secrecy on who that is.”

This revelation left his co-star Hassell stunned, as he was not aware of what Turner had just disclosed.

Five months before part two of Rivals’ second series hits screens, the show’s third series was officially confirmed.

Production company Happy Prince said: "We've been delighted and overwhelmed by the audience's response to season 2 of Rivals - [a] testament to the hard work from everyone working on Rivals both on and off screen.

"Our one sadness is that Jilly didn't get to witness the love for season two. But she's still very much with us in spirit, and would be so delighted that season three has been greenlit."

They added: "The phenomenal response to Rivals is a credit to the bold, irreverent and endlessly entertaining world created by Dame Jilly Cooper, our cast, creative team and production partners at Happy Prince.”

Digital Spy has given Rivals season 2, part 2 a five-star review. Meanwhile, star Danny Dyer has responded to criticism from fans regarding one storyline.

Rivals season 2 will return Wednesday 11 November on Disney+.

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