Aidan Turner: ‘I had to be cut-throat – even with friends’

In Rivals, Aidan Turner plays a Parkinson-style TV presenter, Declan O’Hara, who ends up as pawn in the bitter rivalry between TV executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and Rupert Campbell-Black (Aex Hassell).

It’s a world that isn’t completely alien to the actor, who described his ascent to TV stardom, notching up roles in shows such as Poldark, as ‘pretty cut-throat even from friends’ to before Rivals’ launch.

Aidan admitted there were ‘similarities’ between his experience and the ruthless world of 1980s regional television as presented in the Dame Jilly Cooper adaptation, in which a despicable Lord Baddingham pushes morals and good taste aside in the quest for success.

‘It’s in every profession at a certain level too. It does get a bit ruthless,’ he mused at The Soho Hotel in London. ‘I do remember in my 20s it was pretty cut-throat – even from friends.’

He continued: ‘It was those horrible moments that I’m sure the characters in the show experience, where you really, really want to be happy for your friend – and thankfully all that’s gone now – but I do remember those moments when you’d be up for the same castings [and it was cut-throat].

‘It’s similar in this world: there are a lot of transactional dynamics with these relationships, everyone’s after something and wants something, so everyone’s kind of on the make anyway. There’s a certain ruthlessness in this show also that mirrors [the experience of rising up the ranks].’

For his incisive presenter Declan, who signs a deal with the devil for his own programme on Cotswolds regional TV after growing frustrated with the BBC, Aidan said he drew inspiration from American political commentator William F Buckley – and his dad.

‘I sprinkled a bit of my own father in there the way he talks, his tone and the way he holds himself,’ he explained. ‘He also rocked a ‘tache in the 80s and 90s. I’ve been dying to play him for years.’ Aidan said his dad had no idea he informed Declan prior to the Rival’s release.

At the central London hotel, he is joined by co-star Nafessa Williams, who plays cold-blooded and career-driven producer Cameron Cooke. She too used her family for inspiration – her mother, aunt and grandmother.

‘I had very vivid memories of how they looked and how they dressed, and just how they carried themselves. So I did that,’ she explained.

In Rivals, Cameron is having a steamy affair with her boss Lord Tony – but she admitted she found her co-star David’s performance terrifying.

‘David is so brilliant and it was amazing to act opposite him. He’s great but he could be very scary, too, right? ‘ Nafessa, 34, confessed.

Lord Baddingham is far from the only morally bankrupt character peppered through the cast of Rivals. Declan’s wife Maud O’Hara, played by Victoria Smurfit, makes some questionable parenting decisions concerning her daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean).

Is it challenging to play someone despicable? ‘I absolutely love it,’ Victoria enthused via Zoom. ‘You get the freedom to actually think the thoughts you’re not supposed to think and do the things you’re not supposed to.

‘You’re so busy in [the character] that I can’t judge Maude, but I completely understand that everybody else can.

‘But what we would do when I was being particularly rotten to my beautiful Taggie is hug it out afterwards -because she is not the type of mother that I would be.’

Maud is aware, somewhat, of a romantic frisson between Taggie and the much older Rupert. There is also a significant age gap between Taggie actress Bella, 23, and Alex, 44, who plays Rupert.

How was that to film? ‘Alex is the most wonderful man ever and we became incredibly good friends really early on,’ rising star Bella said.

‘We were so comfortable with each other and there’s obviously intimacy coordinators and a lovely, wonderful team of people. It was really smooth sailing the whole time. We’re really good friends, so it made it easy.’