Actor Alex Hassell says nude tennis scene was ‘really important’ to Rivals

Rivals actor Alex Hassell has said a scene which sees him caught playing nude tennis was “really important” for the Disney+ series.

The scene saw the 46-year-old’s character Rupert Campbell-Black and Emily Atack’s character Sarah Stratton playing tennis naked when Taggie O’Hara, played by Bella Maclean, walks in on them to warn of a fire.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Hassell said: “I feel that the full-frontal stuff was really important, also, it’s funny and shocking, and I think it’s memorable in a way that is helpful now in the latter part of the story.

“It sears into your mind that Rupert is that guy.

The second part of the second series of Rivals is launching on Disney+ (Jeff Moore/PA)

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“But I think, also, it’s diminishing returns. If we’re seeing my willy all the time, I think it’ll make less of an impression.”

The scene was nominated for the 2025 Bafta Memorable Moment award, which was eventually won by Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell’s waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone on Strictly Come Dancing.

The second part of the second season of Rivals is set to air on the streaming platform on November 11 and will reportedly see the actor, who said he is “not shy about my body”, go nude again.

Hassell added: “I don’t want to get a reputation for being someone who takes their clothes off all the time, but it depends on the job.”

It comes after his co-star Maclean revealed she had a no nudity clause inserted into her Rivals contract.

She told Harper’s Bazaar: “It was important because of how pure Taggie’s character was. I didn’t want to sexually exploit her, and I didn’t want to do that to myself either.

Hassell’s co-star Bella Maclean had a no nudity clause inserted into her Rivals contract (Ian West/PA)

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“That was really important to me, and I think it will stay important to me. There are some things I just want to keep to myself.

“I don’t judge anyone who does it. Sometimes it’s so beautiful. If I had Victoria Smurfit’s body, I’d probably be walking around naked.

“But in that sense, we’re all lucky because there are amazing intimacy co-ordinators on our job. I know that’s not the case for other people. We’re all good friends who can just say no to the directors and they’ll listen.”

The series is an adaptation of the Rutshire Chronicles novel series, written by Dame Jilly Cooper, and follows the world of independent television in 1986, and a rivalry between Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and former MP Rupert.