Emily Atack captured attention in a brown leather minidress and coordinating oversized bomber jacket at the screening for "Rivals" series 2 in London. The actress, 36, paired the edgy ensemble with opaque tights and black stilettos.
Atack, who plays Sarah Stratton, styled her blonde bob in waves and accessorized with chunky gold earrings. She was joined by co-star Danny Dyer, 49, who portrays Freddie Jones. Dyer looked dapper in a black shirt and white blazer, posing with his on-screen wife Lisa McGrillis, 44, who wore a burgundy leather blazer and matching miniskirt.
Bella Maclean, 28, who plays Agatha 'Taggie' O'Hara, also attended, wearing a sheer black skirt over bejewelled satin hotpants. Other cast members present included Alex Hassell, who plays Rupert Campbell-Black, with his wife Emma King. Executive producer Felicity Blunt donned a backless black midi dress, and director Dee Koppang O'Leary was accompanied by her husband, TV presenter Dermot O'Leary.
"Rivals" season two, based on Jilly Cooper's 1988 book, has been described by critics as a "glorious return of the bonkbuster" with "oodles of sex." The second half of the season, which dropped on Disney+ with a three-episode release followed by weekly installments, has garnered praise for embracing the glitz and glamour of Cooper's world.
The show has notably featured several saucy scenes, including a nude scene with Danny Dyer's character, Freddie Jones. Dyer commented that filming the scene, which involved him emerging from a bath, was "farcical" and admitted concerns about appearing naked on screen. He also expressed his appreciation for his female co-stars.
Critics have offered mixed reviews, with The Times awarding five stars and praising the show's lightheartedness, while The Independent gave it three stars, noting its transition into more dramatic territory. Collider highlighted the show's ability to forge its own path while embracing the source material, despite some pacing issues attributed to the split-season release.
The storyline this season includes the escalating romance between Freddie and Lizzie Vereker following a mutual friend's death, and a rekindled intimacy between Freddie and his wife. Dyer also discussed a previous nude scene in an earlier episode where he and Katherine Parkinson appeared nude, joking about the cold conditions during filming and the importance of him baring all alongside his female co-stars.