Undressing Rivals season 2’s erotic pool sex scene with its stars: ‘We’re selling lust’

Warning: spoilers ahead for Rivals season 2 episode 4.

Rivals is chockablock full of steamy romance, but one couple in particular has fans rooting for them hard – Freddie (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson).

Despite their relationship meaning that they’re both cheating on their spouses, their connection still feels pure – and it reaches a crescendo in season 2 episode 4, when they have sex in Freddie’s pool.

While speaking to Metro, Danny and Katherine opened up about the scene, which marked the first time that their characters had slept together since season one.

Their latest rendezvous occurs during the taping of Corinium’s televised production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) has cast Maud O’Hara (Victoria Smurfit), the wife of his nemesis Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner), to play the lead, Titania. 

Lizzie is in the audience to support her husband, James Vereker (Oliver Chris), who’s playing Bottom, but she sneaks out to head to Freddie’s house.

Freddie is chilling by the indoor pool on his own, lying on a sun lounger in his swimming trunks and reading one of Lizzie’s erotic books.

Lizzie knocks and comes in, revealing to Freddie that she’s just struck a huge book deal, and he was the first person she wanted to tell.

‘You’re bloody brilliant,’ he tells her, before he starts kissing her… and from that point onwards, despite Lizzie’s previous attempts to deny the burning passion they have for each other, they can resist no longer.

They strip naked, jumping into the pool together, before kissing, caressing, and having sex in the water, with Freddie even going down on Lizzie in the hot tub.

When I mentioned the passionate swimming pool scene during our recent interview, Katherine, 48, joked: ‘Has that made it in, has it?’

‘I did a lot of laps between takes,’ she quipped, as Danny chimed in to add: ‘She was very excited about getting in the pool. It was quite a warm day, I remember.’

Danny, 48, then spoke in more detail about the scene, explaining how the narrative of season two led to this moment, after an order made by Freddie’s wife, Val (Lisa McGrillis).

‘It’s set up nicely by Valerie, who says to Freddie, “Don’t go in the pool naked, Fred Fred, I don’t want to get pregnant.” And I said, “Well, I don’t think it works like that.” Val, she says, “Don’t do it,”’ he recalled.

‘And then, of course, Lizzie comes over, and we both want to do a bit of skinny dipping and jump in.’

Katherine emphasised the significance of the scene, as it provides their characters with an opportunity to feel free, which they might otherwise not feel in their everyday lives.

‘It’s the abandon of it. It’s a complete sort of throwing the rule book,’ she said.

‘Like two teenagers who are having fun in the swimming pool,’ Danny continued. ‘I suppose you just get on with it, that stuff. 

‘It’s not written in a way where you do this, you do that. We’re selling it, that’s what we do. Selling lust, sex…’

‘Love,’ Katherine interjected, to which Danny responded: ‘Selling love. It’s very playful.’

Fans of Rivalsave wasted no time in sharing how much they adore Freddie and Lizzie, with bonobochick writing on X: ‘Lizzie & Freddie really has me rooting for two folks to cheat cause they’re so lovely together. They have the yearning down pat.’

‘I will NEVER get tired of the way Freddie looks at Lizzie,’ knownasbeacon commented, while sevandrec remarked: ‘The way I get sooo giddy every time Lizzie and Freddie come up on my screen.’

Time2loves also wrote: ‘The best ship in Rivals is definitely Lizzie and Freddie.’ At this point in time, I might have to agree.

Rivals is available to stream on Disney+ with new episodes of season 2 being released on Fridays.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.