Rivals

Perfect autumn viewing. 80's Jilly Cooper novels were passed around until pages fell out, so I was curious about the idea of bringing one to life on TV in 2024. It's perfectly done. The show is able to make well placed acknowledgements to life 40 years ago; and while it is amusing, it is never comic. It is also blunt about the era's inequities. The story is great, a proper romp but not sordid, with twists & turns you'd expect from a JC book and a Disney + show. The styling is spot on. The casting + characters are brilliant. Bit of a Danny Dyer crush now actually! A must watch. Season 2 please!

A very easy and bingeable watch, thoroughly enjoyable. Great characters, storylines, drama and 80s music to sing along to. David Tennant again plays a fantastic antagonist. Aidan Turner is amazing as always. The cast clearly had a blast filming this and it comes through in the series. So many talented actors and actresses in one programme. The series starts off comical and gets more dramatic as the episodes go on. The series has remained faithful to the book and the nature of the 80s. The characters are enjoyable and easy to become invested in. I ended each episode wanting to watch more right the way until the end. Hoping for season 2!

Back in the 90's there was an appalling version of Riders by Jilly Cooper, since then TV had avoided her 'bonkbusters' the critics feeling that Jilly Cooper novels were outdated and silly. That's far from the truth, Cooper satires the upper middle classes of the Cotswolds with an iron wit and has always understood comedy, character and fun plots. In many ways her work has been more akin to Restoration Comedy than Carry On with characters having more development and more inner life than you'd expect.

Now from Disney comes RIVALS boasting a stellar cast and the good news is that it's a great watch, yes it's full of naughty moments and boobs and bums, even the occasional Willy. The triumph of it though is that it has the budget and it has the time to do justice to the feel and spirit of the original book. The changes are minor and actually open out the period and the politics more.

Bella Maclean is brilliant in the central role of Tagie and Alex Hassel makes a great job of Rupert, a role that is impossible to cast because nobody in history can be the character that Cooper created - part villain, part Adonis, part whimpering child. He makes a really creditable job.

The real star of this though is the ensemble of great character actors Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson all putting in career best performances.

The 80's soundtrack is on point throughout and makes Rivals a real triumph for Disney. It's fun, it's frothy but there is a deeper undertow that raises it above a hallmark movie and offers the hope that we will see much more from this team and this universe in the future.

Really liked it.

In terms of TV shows, this year has been fairly average. Rivals stands out as an absolute highlight. It's a multi-layered work that definitely deserves a sequel.

Conceptually, it's a soap opera, narratively a satire, and stylistically a period piece. A careful viewer will find a message within that, for once, isn't superficial or forcefully pushing political idealism but instead seeks truth. Rivals is entertaining, clever, raunchy, and funny. Not a single episode feels loose, unnecessary, or forced; the story and characters build beautifully toward an outstanding climax.

The writing, scenes, lines, and direction all serve the greater whole. The soundtrack appeals to every child of the '80s. The acting is a pleasure to watch. The always excellent David Tennant shines as a humanized villain, with Alex Hassell as his opposing force. Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner form a believable, well-matched broken couple. The audience witnesses the rise of a few new stars, especially Bella Maclean will be name to recon in the future.

Highly recommended, the best show of the fall.

I read Rivals a few years ago and enjoyed every page! It's quite difficult to compare the book and its characters to its television adaptation, since we all bring our own perception of what certain characters should look and act like. Also, while we can read a book at our leisure, television has to move along at a pace that fits the format and doesn't drag, so some characters or side story lines may have to be cut for time's sake. That being said, yes, there are differences from the book, but none so great that it ruins the overall fun and entertainment value. The characters, especially Aidan Turner as Declan O'Hara, the upstanding journalist and David Tennant, the nasty Lord B are great! Makes us love Declan as much as we hate Lord B! The 80s music is fantastic, though the one part I found annoying was the opening high pitched opera music, just not a good fit. As to all the sex scenes, yes, we could do without some, since we all have an imagination, but that would not be the book Cooper wrote. It was wonderful to spot Jilly Cooper herself in the restaurant lunch scene. She looked as though she was thoroughly enjoying the show, as did I. The last episode ended quite different from the book, so I'm hoping there will be at least another season where we get to see what happens with Taggie and RCB . . . And of course, we know nasty Lord B has to be around to wreak more havoc.