The Disney+ series has received six Bafta nominations and a memorable moment nod
David Tennant has described his Bafta TV Awards nomination as a “real shock” after being recognised in the leading actor category for his performance in the hit Disney+ drama Rivals. The 54-year-old actor, best known to many as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, plays the scheming and seductive Lord Tony Baddingham in the series – a role that has earned him widespread acclaim.
Adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper’s racy 1988 novel, Rivals dives into the power plays and scandals of the independent television industry in the 1980s, brimming with all the glamour, chaos, and cheek the era is remembered for.
Speaking at the Bafta nominees party held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Tennant admitted the recognition came as something of a surprise. “It was a real shock, I was not expecting it and I’m very thrilled to be here,” he said. “I’m going to make the most of it – I’m coming to the party, I’m doing the works this year.”
Tennant, who has been a familiar face on British television for over two decades, will also appear this weekend as an interviewee on ITV’s The Assembly – a unique programme where celebrities are interviewed by a panel of autistic, neurodivergent and learning-disabled individuals.
Reflecting on Rivals‘ success, Tennant shared that his wife, actress Georgia Tennant, had seen it coming long before he had. “My wife was always very sure of the show,” he explained. “She knew the book from years ago, and when she saw it was being dramatised, and indeed when a script pinged through on an email, she went, ‘Oh, this is going to be the biggest show of the year’.”
Tennant confessed he had never previously read any of Jilly Cooper’s work, although he was aware of her popularity. “I sort of knew they’d been big in the 80s,” he said. “They were well known for certain things – I thought that, right? But she was absolutely right. I mean, it just took off.”
He credited showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins and his writing team for their skilful adaptation of the novel, striking just the right balance of period drama and character-driven storytelling. “It’s a bit like doing a Dickens or a Trollope,” Tennant said. “It’s got all the texture of looking into the past, as well as all these extraordinary characters and all the twists and turns of it. So Georgia was right, very pleased to say.”
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Rivals has been nominated for six awards across the Bafta TV Awards, tying with ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office as the second most-nominated series this year. Among its nominations is one in the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment category – for the eyebrow-raising scene in which characters Rupert Campbell-Black (played by Alex Hassell) and Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack) are caught playing naked tennis.
Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, a gripping and darkly comedic retelling of creator Richard Gadd’s real-life experience with stalking, leads the field with eight nominations, setting the tone for a fiercely competitive awards season.
The Bafta Television Craft Awards, which celebrate behind-the-scenes excellence, will be hosted by Stacey Dooley and take place on Sunday 27 April. The main event – the Bafta Television Awards – will be hosted by Alan Cumming on 11 May and broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
As anticipation builds, Tennant remains characteristically humble, despite his status as one of the UK’s most acclaimed and versatile actors. For fans of Rivals, and of Tennant himself, his surprise nomination is simply further proof of his enduring star power and the show’s irresistible charm.
