Affairs and age gaps; ponies and pregnancies; snobbery and snooping. The TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 masterpiece Rivals was, when it arrived on Disney+ in 2024, a feast of naughtiness, a lightly sepia romp that, from its opening scene involving Alex Hassell’s bare arse humping in a plane toilet, jolted us all from our cultural stupor.
“Welcome to the naughtiest show on television,” goes the opening line of this new series. With two todgers out in the first five minutes, full intercourse in the first 10 and another steamy shower shag in 15, Rivals round two promises to be just as wild a ride. And, yes, of course, there will be horses: the pair who first go full-frontal are twin members of Rutshire’s newest polo team, which also includes Rupert Campbell-Black (Hassell) and Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer).
An attractive and charismatic cast, resplendent in various combinations of sweaty jodhpurs, high-waisted tailoring, mum jeans and elaborate floral dresses, are once again enough to jump-start the engines of those of us who are so dissociated from the horrors of the zeitgeist that it feels as though our very brains have been Facetuned. But any real fan of Cooper should know that all this is far more than just a horny “bonkbuster”. The clue’s in the name: there is backstabbing, manipulation, and fierce competition to claim both people and power.
Fear not. Lord Baddingham is back (Photo: Disney+)Series one ended on a spectacular cliffhanger: Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), head of the TV channel Corinium and arch-nemesis of Rupert, whacked over the head with his company’s own trophy by Cameron (Nafessa Williams) – his mistress, second-in-command and, ultimately, personal Judas – and bleeding profusely. Fear not: he’s bounced back, and, spoiler alert, a near-death experience has made him even more salty, while Rupert, TV wunderkind Declan O’Hara (Aiden Turner) and newfound enemy Freddie, have not abandoned their plot to sabotage his company.
And it’s all very complicated – because as well as his company, Rupert – still minister for sport and still a total shit, portrayed by Hassell with a lightness of touch that would make Cooper proud – has stolen his girlfriend, while simultaneously being in love with sweet, 20-year-old Taggie (Bella Maclean), who is also Declan’s daughter. Following their long-awaited liaison in series one Freddie remains deeply infatuated with Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson), the only character on the show with a moral compass, and as for Tony’s prize presenter Sarah (Emily Atack)… Well, if you ever get confused, just assume that everyone has shagged everyone.
There’s a lot going on, but it’s the relationships – particularly the meaningful ones – that we care about. That includes the secret gay romance between Corinium programme controller Charles (Gary Lamont) and Rupert’s aide Gerald (Hubert Barton), who must deal with new challenges as Gerald announces his engagement.
Everyone’s got secrets, everyone is screwing each other over, but Rivals manages to retain a sunny, uplifting atmosphere. The English country houses are beautifully indulgent; the 80s details, from the cars to the Waitrose bags, are gorgeously tactile.
Rutshire’s newest polo team: Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, Luca Pasqualino as Bas Baddingham, Brendan Patricks as Henry Hampshire and Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black (Photo: Disney+)Baddingham, who, on multiple levels, is in very deep trouble indeed, is portrayed as a manipulative monster as he controls Cameron and shouts at everyone in his path, but he’s really a pantomime villain in a show that wants to cheer us up with its nosiness, irreverence and wide, sweeping lens.
Lord B may be throwing his weight around, but there’s plenty else to look at: from the astute commentary on class – Freddie’s wife, Valerie (Lisa McGrillis), remains in the eyes of the poshos hopelessly bourgeois, her heels sinking into the grass at the polo and her shoes-off-in-the-house rule an immediate faux pas – to the dewy-eyed shots of the English countryside at golden hour. All that, before even mentioning the six-packs.
With plots sprawling over the two TV companies, multiple complicated relationships and storylines competing for the most important, this second instalment feels a little looser than the first – but its glorious glow of mischief remains.
‘Rivals’ is out on Disney+ on Friday 15 May
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