Sporting a well-shaped '80s moustache at the TV BAFTAs, where he collected the award for best male performance in a comedy, Danny Dyer revealed that filming for season two of Rivals is about to begin. 'This isn't fashion, by the way,' he joked about his 'lip slug'.
The Disney+ black comedy based on Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name became a surprising sensation when it first aired last October. It follows the lives of Cotswolds residents working at two rival television networks and pokes fun at all things '80s – from the outfits and the politics to the heavy-handed sexual innuendos.
Dyer and his moustache were central to its success. He played the beloved Freddie Jones, a self-made electronics businessman in a loveless marriage, who embarks on a steamy affair with romance author Lizzie Vereker, played perfectly by Katherine Parkinson. Luckily, we already know that both characters will be returning for season two.
'We start shooting on Wednesday for Rivals season two, 12 episodes,' he confirmed at the BAFTAs. 'It's so lavish and so lush and I'm very, very excited about it. [...] I've just got to concentrate on bringing Freddie back and this series is so much better than the first. It's that difficult second album thing but, honestly, the writers and the producers have absolutely nailed it. I can't wait for people to see it. It's a beautiful job for me and I love working with Katherine.'
Dyer admitted that he had no idea it would be such a phenomenon after filming the first season. 'You sort of do these jobs and you get all excited about something and then it just dies a death. I've done that before over my career but this always had an energy about it. You work with such brilliant actors. Every single performance in that is just so, so good, whether people have four lines or they've got monologues. It just makes you want to raise your game.'
'I love the 80s, I love the nostalgia of it, it's got an incredible look, the music. And Rivals wasn't being apologetic about the 80s. It was going, "look, this is how it was" and I think people really appreciated that,' he added. 'People want to choose what they watch and what they're offended at [sic] as adults. We want to make our own decisions and if we don't fancy it, we don't watch it. If you want a bit of naughtiness in your life, go and watch it. And Rivals has plenty of naughtiness.'
Will Lizzie and Freddie take things to the next level? Will they leave their partners? Will (spoiler alert) Tony Baddingham miraculously rise from the dead after being pummelled to death in his office by his lover/ chief producer? We can't wait to find out.
When does Rivals season two come out?
Given that, at the time of writing, Dyer hasn't even started filming yet, it's likely we will have to wait until the end of the year for season two to come out. Season one landed on Disney+ in October, so it would be great news if they were working towards a similar launch time, but it could also arrive next year.
We'll update you as soon as we know...
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).