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Coincidentally, Aidan Turner previously filmed at Chavenage House (the rival monastery)
Line of Events
Follows Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Baddingham as they have a long-running rivalry that is coming to an end. The same location was also used to depict Trenwith House in the 2015 BBC TV adaptation of Poldark. There was a horrendous Jilly Cooper film version of The Riders in the 1990s, and since then TV has shunned her as a ‘bonkbuster’; critics have deemed Jilly Cooper’s novels dated and silly.
But its triumph is that it has the budget and time to keep the feel and spirit of the original book
This is far from the truth, Cooper satirises the Cotswolds upper middle classes with an ironic wit and has always had an eye for comedy, character and hilarious plots. In many ways, her work has been more like a restoration comedy than a Creedy On, with characters with more development and more inner life than you’d expect. Now comes RIVALS from Disney, which boasts a great cast, and the good news is that The Perfect Watch, yes, it’s full of naughty moments, boobies, and trouble, even the occasional Willy.
created by Cooper – part villain, part Adonis, part whiny child
The changes are minor and actually bring out the period and politics more. Bella Maclean is brilliant in the lead role of Tagie, and Alex Hassel is brilliant as Rupert. The role is impossible to do because no one in the story can be a character.
He does a really creditable job
But the real star of this work is the ensemble cast of great characters Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, who give career-best performances. The 80s soundtrack is spot on and makes The Rivals a real Disney triumph. It’s fun, it’s effervescent, but there’s a deeper undertone that elevates it above a standout film and gives us hope that we’ll see much more from this team and this universe in the future.