Update in case of Rivals actor arrested on set on assault charge
He says he now wants to return to the Disney+ show
An actor who was arrested while filming on the set of the TV show Rivals has had the charge against him dropped.
Nigel Adams, 45, was arrested by officers from Avon and Somerset Police at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire in June.
He was later charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his long-term partner Louise Payne.
The alleged incident took place on 31 May.
Both Mr Adams and Ms Payne attended Bristol Crown Court on Monday morning for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
The actor, from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Christine Hart, prosecuting, said she would be offering no evidence against Mr Adams.
Ms Hart said: “Subsequent to the case being charged, there is a statement by Ms Payne.
“She is here at court today, she sits in the public gallery.
“She has made it clear she didn’t wish to proceed with the case. I have spoken to her at length, as has the officer in charge.
“Taking into account the evidence already in the case and that statement, the only option I have is to offer no evidence on the outstanding count.”
Judge William Hart told the court he would formally enter a not guilty verdict in the case.
The judge told Mr Adams: “You are free to leave, thank you.”
Rivals, starring David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Emily Atack, is based on the novel of the same name by Dame Jilly Cooper.
It is based on the rivalry over an independent television franchise in the Cotswolds in the 1980s.
Speaking outside court, Mr Adams and Ms Payne said they were grateful the case had been dropped.
“Now I can get back with my agent and get back on Rivals, hopefully. I still have the costume.”
He added: “I’m grateful everything has been sorted. We just want to get on with our lives.”
Mr Adams and Ms Payne have been engaged for seven years and said they are now looking forward to getting married.
Ms Payne said: “I didn’t want to press charges from the beginning. I had to come to court to say I didn’t want to go ahead with it.
“I’m happy it’s all sorted.”