Month: August 2024

Disney’s new star-studded drama series, which stars Doctor Who alumnus David Tennant, will arrive in mid-October.

Rivals, a new politically and romantically-charged Disney Plus drama, is finally set to make its debut on October 18.

Announced yesterday (August 21) at Edinburgh TV Festival, the David Tennant and Alex Hassell-starring series will be released on Disney Plus (internationally) and Hulu (US) in mid-October. And, I don’t know about you, but it looks and sounds like it’ll be a wild ride.

Why do I say that? Because, while it’s based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s fascinating novel of the same name, Rivals‘ TV adaptation seems as if it’s taking some cues from recent powerhouse TV dramas that we couldn’t get enough of. Indeed, whether it’s Max series like Succession and Industry, or popular Netflix offerings such as The Gentlemen,  Rivals aims to explore class privilege and high-society power struggles through its own lens.

Alright, so what’s it about? Per a Disney press release, Rivals – one of many instalments in Cooper’s beloved Rutshire Chronicles book series – takes place in mid-1980s Britain (1986, to be exact). Diving headlong into the ruthless world of independent television, it focuses on “a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men [which] is about to boil over. 

“Alex Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Tory Member of Parliament and incorrigible rake, the dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black. David Tennant plays Rupert’s single-mindedly ambitious and egotistical Rutshire neighbour Lord Tony Baddingham, [who is the] controller of Corinium Television. A long-simmering power struggle between them threatens to boil over when the two men lock horns over the future of Corinium.”

Tennant, whose face and voice will be instantly recognizable to fans of Doctor Who, Good Omens, and Star Wars: Ahsoka, is arguably Rivals‘ biggest star. He, alongside Hassell, whose previous acting credits include The Boys on Prime Video and Apple’s The Tragedy of MacBeth, aren’t the only household names attached to feature, though.

So, who’s joining the aforementioned pair on Rivals‘ stacked roster? A whole load of famous faces, including [deep breath] Aidan Turner (Poldark), Victoria Smurfit (Once Upon A Time), Bella Maclean (Sex Education), Catriona Chandler (Enola Holmes 2), Oliver Chris (The Crown), Danny Dyer (Eastenders), Emily Atack (The Inbetweeners), Nafessa Wiliams (Black Lightning), and Katherine Parkinson (Humans).

The eight-part series also has a number of notable names working behind the camera, too. Ted Lasso directing alumnus Elliot Hegarty helmed Rivals’ first four entries, with The Crown‘s Dee Koppang O’Leary and Somewhere Boy‘s Alexandra Brodski directed the rest. Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who UK readers will know from his work on TV soap operas including Eastenders and Family Affairs, and Olivier award-winning playwright Laura Wade led development on its scripts.

Will Rivals have enough about it to compete for a spot on our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu shows lists? That remains to be seen, but it can take comfort from other UK shows, such as The Gentlemen, that, prior to their release, didn’t appear as if they’d be as successful as they actually were. If Rivals can tap into audiences’ penchant for spicy melodrama and love-to-hate characters, it certainly has a chance of winning people over on two of the world’s best streaming services.

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A reliable Apple analyst has claimed that Apple’s foldable MacBook has been pushed back to 2027 at the earliest.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple is working on a foldable iPad, or a MacBook with an expanding foldable display, or a foldable something. But whatever form this foldable device is set to take, evidence is mounting that it’s been delayed, and one reliable tipster has now thrown their weight behind this being the case.

The analyst in question is Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a strong track record when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Kuo explained that “Due to technical challenges with the display and mechanical [elements of the product], the assembly mass production schedule has been pushed back from 1H26 [the first half of 2026] to the end of 2027 or 2028.”

That would be a significant delay to a device that could massively shake up Apple’s device roster. The company has waited on the sidelines while rivals like Samsung, Microsoft, and OnePlus have released products with folding screens, apparently biding its time until it gets the technology right. After all, Apple much prefers to arrive late to the party with something great than launch a flawed product early, and given the problems foldable devices have experienced so far – especially concerning the durability of their displays – this latest report seems to suggest that Apple is not yet happy with whatever it’s cooking up.

Rumors thus far have suggested that Apple’s device could either be an iPad that folds out to greatly increase its screen size, or a MacBook that uses one large touchscreen for its top and bottom halves. The uncertainty seems to come down to how Apple chooses to position the device, and the nuances of what exactly defines an iPad and a MacBook. Either way, it looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer until we see the foldable.

More details confirmed

(Image credit: Farknot Architect / Shutterstock)

That’s not all Kuo had to say on the matter. In the post on X, Kuo stated that the final display size of the device had been “confirmed at 18.8 inches,” adding that “Apple has canceled the 20.25-inch design.” Several sources had previously reported on the possibility of Apple launching a 20-inch folding device, including Kuo and display industry expert Ross Young, but that now seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Interestingly, Kuo noted that “Some market participants previously expected Apple to launch the foldable iPad in 2025, but the current supply chain survey indicates that the foldable iPad has no visibility. This may also be because some call this foldable MacBook a foldable iPad.”

This follows a report earlier in August from Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who claimed that Apple was “working on a giant, foldable iPad – something that might not arrive until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest.”

When all is said and done the picture remains murky, and we’re no closer to knowing what this device will actually be or how Apple will position it. The one thing that does appear to be clear, though, is that the device is still a long way from launching.

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