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Jilly Cooper’s steamy drama Rivals lands 93% Rotten Tomatoes score – here’s how to watch
The new series stars David Tennant, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer
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Dame Jilly Cooper is a powerhouse of the literary scene. With 44 books under her belt, the author is much loved for her racy novels and memorable characters.
Writing about social politics, sex, drama and intrigue in the English countryside, Cooper became a titan of the “bonkbusters” genre, a term coined in the Seventies and Eighties.
The Rutshire Chronicles series of novels is among the author’s famous work. Set in the idyllic world of showjumping, country mansions and huge wealth, Riders (£7.99, Amazon.co.uk) was published in 1985 and followed well-to-do people behaving badly. In the novel, Rupert Campbell-Black is a rich and arrogant showjumper whose rivalry with fellow showjumper Jake Lovell has lasted generations. The raunchy front cover shook up the mainstream publishing world.
The second book in the series, Rivals (£9.69, Amazon.co.uk) proved even more popular. Revisiting Rupert when his showjumping days are over (he’s now the Tory minister for sport), the romping is taken to another level. Set in the Eighties, it’s a satirical look at the affluent rural elite and their world of wealth.
In the book, Lord Baddingham is desperate to retain his TV franchise. Hiring Irish talk show star Declan O’Hara and handsome but brash producer Cameron Cook, the two men begin to detest each other, leading to a storm of controversy. Enter bad boy Rupert Campbell-Black to stir up even more trouble.
Now, Disney+ has adapted the cult book into an eight-part series with an all-star cast featuring David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Emily Atack, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson. If you need any further reason to watch, it debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a strong score of 93 per cent – so keep reading to find out how to stream all episodes now.
How to watch ‘Rivals’ in the UK
You can watch Rivals in the UK on Disney+. The show is an exclusive release to the streaming platform. The series premiered with all eight episodes dropped in one go on Friday 18 October, meaning you can binge the entire show in one sitting (that’s our weekend plans sorted).
A subscription to Disney+ starts from £4.99 per month for the ad-supported tier. Instead of a monthly subscription, there is also the option to pay per year on the two higher tiers, which brings the price down to £79.90 for the standard tier (which lets you download content for offline viewing) and £109.90 for the premium tier, which lets you watch at 4K resolution.
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