Rivals season 2 has arrived and Victoria Smurfit teases ‘juicy, naughty, outrageous’ scenes fans will devour

It's felt like an impossibly long wait, but Rivals season 2 has finally made its way to our screens.

Season 1 left us with so many questions: Is Tony Baddingham dead? Have Declan and Maude split up? Will Valerie and James just disappear so that Freddie and Lizzie can just be together? Will Taggie finally get her Rupert, ahem, encounter?

Well, Tony definitely isn't dead, as he's seen in the trailer for the new season being all angry and dastardly. As for Declan and Maude, we'll have to watch and find out about their relationship status, and we do know that Freddie gets a full frontal scene this series - let's just hope it's Lizzie getting the best view.

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Looking at Rupert, he was last seen telling Taggie, "I can't breathe without you." It seems he certainly can breathe without her, as he's bouncing up and down on other women while still remaining very much alive. The scoundrel.

As we count down to bingeing the latest episodes, Maude O'Hara actress Victoria Smurfit has teased what to expect from the new series, weighing in on why viewers just can't get enough of the escapist action.

Chatting to Lorraine Kelly on her morning show, Victoria says, "We shot 12 episodes, so it meant we could get deeper into the characters."

She adds, "We could get funnier, more outrageous, more heartfelt, more love - it's really juicy, and it's even better, if that's possible."

Lorraine appears very happy to hear this, telling the actress that "naughtier and cheekier are better."

The host then leads into the topic of why "everyone has embraced this series." Lorraine says, "It's kind of what we need," and Victoria completely agrees.

"People want fun," the actress says, continuing, "At the end of the day I don't want to go home and watch something miserable, I want to go home and be taken out of my life."

She adds, "I want to laugh and fall in love with the people, and hate a few of the people, and shout at the telly, and close your eyes and send the kids out of the room."

Referring to Rupert Campbell-Black and Sarah Stratton's infamous naked tennis scene from season 1, Lorraine sadly points out that there isn't any naked tennis to be found in the new episodes.

However, fans need not be disappointed as there will be plenty more scenes of a similar raunchiness scale for season 2.

"In the first five or six minutes, you'll get more than you bargained for," Victoria teases. The star concludes, "And you're welcome!"

That's definitely enough to whet our appetites, and we're in total agreement that Rivals is the escapist mood lifter we all need right now.

Rivals season 2 airs on Disney+ from May 15.