Either you have spent the last six months eagerly awaiting the next instalment of Hulu’s Emmy and BAFTA-award winning seriesRivals or we can’t be friends… Based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s best-selling and much loved Rutshire Chronicles, Disney+ will be spoiling us with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday 11 November.
If you’ve yet to fall for this rambunctious romp of revelry, rivalry and romance, we recommend clearing your diary and gorging on the scandals and excesses that have left viewers breathless. The second half of season two picks up where the mid-series finale (shown back in May) left off. Fans can look forward to hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas – so far, so Cotswolds. In fact, as vast majority of the show was filmed across the region, if the elevated raunch factor doesn’t provide enough excitement for you, there’s always a undeniably pleasurable little thrill to be gained in spotting familiar locations.
The TV adaptation has deviated in some ways from the glorious Jilly’s original ‘bonkbusting’ novels. Without wanting to give anything away, a much-loved character has been lost, and there has been a smouldering hint that upcoming storylines could take us from Rivals and onto Polo and possibly even the brilliantly named, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous (the next two books featuring Rupert Campbell Black et al). We know that Disney+ has commissioned a third series and we also know that the Rutshire Chronicles totals eleven books in all, so here’s hoping they will keep ‘em coming.
For now, there’s a lot we’re waiting to find out. Will Taggie O'Hara (Bella Maclean) and Rupert Campbell Black (Alex Hassell) admit they’re crazy about each other? And what of Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams)? Can Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) hold on to wife, Maud (Victoria Smurfitt), or will she be tempted by bad Lord Baddingham (David Tennant)? Most importantly, though, what does the future hold for Frizzie (our ship name for Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson) and Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer)?
Not long to go now…
To get the Rivals look, check out the November issue of OX for an 80s fashion special
