Meet Rivals actor Alex Hassell! Shirtless hunk is joining David Tennant and Poldark's Aiden Turner for Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's VERY raunchy 80s romance novel

Shirtless hunk Alex Hassell has been announced arsenic David Tennant's and Aiden Turner's co-star successful nan upcoming Disney+ adjustment of Jilly Cooper's raunchy 80s romance caller Rivals.

English character Alex, 43, has been acting since 2001 and has appeared successful a drawstring of salient productions.

After starring successful British staples The Bill and Silent Witness, Alex bagged a domiciled arsenic superhero Translucent successful bid 1 of nan ongoing achromatic drama The Boys.

Two years later, he had his longest tv bid stint arsenic Vicious successful Cowboy Bebop, an American abstraction Western bid based connected nan anime of nan aforesaid name.

He donned an crystal blonde wig again successful 2022 for his domiciled arsenic Metatron successful nan last bid of nan BBC /HBO adjustment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. 

Alex's first Hollywood domiciled came successful 2017 erstwhile he starred other Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac successful achromatic drama crime movie Suburbicon.

The prima is besides heavy progressive successful nan theatre pinch immoderate of his first roles being successful plays specified arsenic Blood And Ice and Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman.

He has much precocious starred arsenic Hal successful Henry IV Parts I and II, and Henry successful Henry V, for nan Royal Shakespeare Company.

Alex is nan co-founder of The Factory Theatre Company whose patrons see Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, and Bill Nighy.

He has been joined to Emma King for thirteen years and she besides starred successful Cowboy Bebop, playing Godard.

It comes aft nan first pictures from steamy caller play Rivals dropped connected Thursday, up of its highly anticipated merchandise astatine an unconfirmed day this year.

Jilly Cooper's racy communicative is nan 2nd book of nan Rutshire Chronicles which follows British upper-class families and nan show-jumping and polo crowd, successful galore different sexually charged scenarios.

Led by David Tennant, Rivals boasts an impressively star-studded formed which besides includes Danny Dyer, Emily Atack, Rufus Jones.

In nan series, Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex) person a rivalry that seeps into nan world of Corinium tv station. 

The Scottish actor, 53, is playing Lord Tony Baddingham, nan eager and egotistical controller of Corinium Television.

He tin beryllium seen shouldering a firearm and wearing a tweed overgarment pinch a matching necktie and level cap, while staring tensely into nan region down a brace of sunglasses.

While Aidan has besides undergone a transformation, sporting a unique moustache to play TV presenter Declan O'Hara.

Declan is described arsenic fiercely intellectual, pinch an moreover fiercer temper, and is wooed to Corinium TV from nan BBC by Tony.

During a caller question and reply pinch Watch To Watch, Aidan joked astir his quality for nan role, saying: 'I look for illustration I'm from circa 1975 but it's for Jilly Cooper's Rivals, which I'm filming until October. 

'I hadn't publication Rivals before. It seems very British truthful it wasn't really connected my radar, but it's really fun. But aft we wrap nan 'tache is decidedly going to spell and I'm going to return a break – I'd emotion a large holiday!'

Meanwhile, Alex is playing nan domiciled of dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, incorrigible rake, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black.

The show will attraction connected nan tense rivalry betwixt Rupert and Tony arsenic good arsenic nan drama, excess, and shocking antics of nan power-grabbing societal elite of 1980s England.

Nafessa Williams is besides pictured arsenic Cameron Cook, a ferociously talented American TV executive who is brought to England by Tony to nutrient Declan's caller prime-time talk show.

She soon finds herself caught betwixt nan 2 powerful men who profoundly underestimate her - astatine their peril. 

The character tin beryllium seen looking charismatic and assured successful a reddish satin blazer, opinionated successful beforehand of a slew of TV monitors.

In contrast, Katherine Parkinson plays Lizzie Vereker, a romanticist novelist suffering from a chopped deficiency of romance successful her life and who is consistently overlooked by her preening and self-centred TV presenter husband, James Vereker, played by Oliver Chris.

Finally, Bella Maclean is playing Taggie O'Hara, Declan's tender-hearted yet strong-willed eldest daughter, who becomes an unexpected enticement for Rupert. 

Aidan spilled nan beans astir nan steamy contented for nan show successful an question and reply pinch The Times, revealing: 'We person truthful overmuch activity connected our show, we person to person 2 intimacy coaches. Two!'

He continued: 'Every time we're successful a different immense manor location somewhere, having plot parties. 

'And it is that point arsenic well, which happens sometimes successful shows — and I spot it happening [here], though nary of america person benignant of admitted to it, but it's decidedly location — wherever there's a flimsy methody point happening. 

'We're each up for nan party. We went retired nan different nighttime to nan Ivy. We had a precocious night, tons of cocktails. Never wanted a play 2 of thing much successful my life.'

Also starring nan show is Victoria Smurfit arsenic a erstwhile character and Declan's bohemian, fickle wife, Maud, while Catriona Chandler plays their younger and wilder girl Caitlin.

Claire Rushbrook plays Lady Monica Baddingham, Tony's dependable, upper-crust woman who has perfectly nary liking successful nan melodramatic goings-on wrong her husband's empire.

While Emily Atack and Rufus Jones will beryllium playing hubby and wife, pinch Emily playing Sarah Stratton, described arsenic eager and not acrophobic to usage her looks to get to nan top.

On nan different hand, Rufus is playing Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Stratton, and is successful nan throes of a midlife situation - everyone knows it.

Danny Dyer is besides starring arsenic Freddie Jones, a self-made electronics millionaire, while Lisa McGrillis has been formed arsenic his social-climbing woman Valerie.

And Luke Pasqualino is starring arsenic nan charming Basil 'Bas' Baddingham, Tony's younger relative and nan proprietor of Cotchester's basking spot, 'Bar Sinister'.

Following nan casting announcement executive shaper and Rivals writer Jilly commented: 'I'm utterly enchanted to beryllium capable to denote our all-star line-up for Rivals'.

'Featuring immoderate of nan champion acting talent that nan British Isles has to offer, I couldn't person dreamed of a amended ensemble cast. I cannot hold to beryllium connected group and spot them bring nan characters I emotion truthful overmuch to life.

'The infinitesimal we met pinch Alex we knew he'd perfectly embody my all-time hero, nan iconic, racy, ruthless, and devastatingly handsome, Rupert Campbell-Black. Viewers are successful for a treat!'

According to Disney+, Rivals is simply a 'joyously mischievous rollercoaster ride, steamy successful its emotion stories and packed pinch larger-than-life characters.'

The streaming work continues that it brings a '2020s lens to nan 1980s', offering a 'raw exploration of a analyzable infinitesimal successful British history erstwhile class, race, sex, wealth, and intersexual liberation meant that, for nan very privileged few, location were nary limits to what they could achieve'.

Rivals is being produced by Happy Prince, which is portion of ITV Studios, and will aerial globally connected Disney+, connected Hulu successful nan US and connected Star+ successful Latin America.

The screenplay is written by executive tv shaper Dominic Treadwell-Collins, of EastEnders fame.