Jilly Cooper reveals her favourite cast member of Rivals adaptation
Jilly Cooper fans, get excited - Disney+'s adaptation of Jilly Cooper's bestselling book Rivals is coming to the streamer very soon. And the good news is it looks every bit as thrilling as we've all been hoping.
The eight-part series, which will be available to stream on Disney+ from 18 October, is based on author Dame Jilly Cooper's iconic novel of the same name, which was first published in 1988.
Speaking about her book being turned into a TV show, Jilly said she was "absolutely knocked out – ecstatic."
"I think Rivals is my favourite novel because I love the characters so much," said Jilly. "Even the most ruthless display moments of tenderness and vulnerability and the shyest and gentlest show courage and integrity as true love blossoms."
While she described the whole casting as "immaculate," she did reveal she has a favourite cast member.
"Oh, Gertrude, Taggie’s dog," Jilly said. "She is adorable with a lovely owner and was patted by everyone on set. She is far more beautiful than Gertrude in the book who is a tight skinned mongrel with a very curly tail. Rupert enrages Taggie when they first meet telling her to, “take that ugly brute back to its pigsty,” The ‘TV’ Gertrude came to a party I gave for the cast and crew and was loved and photographed by everyone."
As for that party, she described being "so touched so many of the cast came and to have so many stars on my lawn. I also invited some of my friends: Richard & Judy Madeley, (Richard has been a long term fan of Rivals) Andrew Parker Bowles and Rupert Lycett Green who were two of my original inspirations for Rupert Campbell-Black. This was because of their charm and glamour, not for any of Rupert’s naughty behaviour! During the evening, they posed for a photograph with Alex Hassell, our Rivals Rupert Campbell-Black. It was a lovely evening and we drank buckets of champagne."
Here's everything we know about the upcoming series...
What is the plot of Rivals?
'Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986,' reads the official synopsis from Disney+.
The story is set in fictional Rutshire (somewhere deep in the Cotswolds), and centres around the high-stakes drama and romantic entanglements of three warring men who live there. These are Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), controller of Corinium Television, Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), ex Olympic showjumper-turned-Tory MP and Tony's nemesis, and Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner), TV journalist and heart throb who’s just jumped ship from the BBC to Corinium.
Who is in the cast of Rivals?
A star-studded cast has signed up to the series. Here's who's playing every character:
Lord Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant
Super Campbell-Black, played by Alex Hassell
Declan O'Hara, played by Aidan Turner
Lady Monica Baddingham, played by Claire Rushbrook
Maud O’Hara, played by Victoria Smurfit
Paul Stratton, played by Rufus Jones
Sarah Stratton, played by Emily Atack
Caitlin O’Hara, played by Catriona Chandler
Taggie O'Hara, played by Bella Maclean
Patrick O'Hara, played by Gabriel Tierney
Cameron Cook, played by Nafessa Williams
Lizzie Vereker, played by Katherine Parkinson
James Vereker, played by Oliver Chris
Freddie Jones, played by Danny Dyer
Valerie Jones, played by Lisa McGrillis
Bas Baddingham, played by Luke Pasqualino
Charles Fairburn, played by Gary Lamont
Beattie Johnson, played by Annabel Scholey
Gerald Middleton, played by Hubert Burton
Days Butler, played by Lara Peake
When can I watch Rivals?
Rivals premieres 18 October exclusively on Disney+.
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