They've finally cast Rupert Campbell Black!

[Kefir]

https://www.an-eventful-life.com.au/eventing-news/books-dvds/cast-jilly-cooper%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98rivals%E2%80%99-revealed

And it's...Alex Hassell. He is finally made flesh! Thoughts, O Cooper fans?

I had Helen pegged as page boy cut Rose Byrne. I like how we have such different mental images of the characters.
I wouldn't have thought of James Norton as RCB but I can see how he would have fitted in quite nicely.

That's not a horseman's body....

As we're doing Time Travel Casting ....

Riders was ?1993 .
I always pictured Mark Greenstreet in my head as RCB (and I was horrified at Marcus Gilbert ! And lets not even go down the route of Micheal Praed as Jake )

Those of the right era willl remember "Brat Farrar" and "Trainer"
Look , here's Mark Greenstreet with A Horse .

Though in the real world , James Norton with blonde hair and some expesively cut , fall into place layering would be perfection.

The more I think about this (sad I know), the more I think James Norton would be amazing. Looks wise but also he is so great at being a villain, but one you can’t help but love. Plus he was so good as TLR in Happy Valley that he could be evil one minute but hilarious the next (the geek disguise, the cyclist disguise) and that humour while still being a gorgeous bastard would be great for RCB.

Helen was always Jane Asher in my head but I can totally see Rose Byrne with lighter red hair.

Maybe Rose Leslie for Helen?

Yes to James Norton as RCB.

Riders was 1980-1984 I think

I definitely wasn't swooning over anybody as an under 10 yr old. If I'm remembering right it was remade in the '90's, updated or something maybe, there was some sort of article about it in a teen magazine about the actors who were going to be in it which I ripped out and kept in my school notebook for ages

Whoever that man is he has the sex appeal of a wilted iceberg lettuce

The TV adaptation was 1993

I had the book in 1986 ish

Not sure why I’m still thinking about this……but whilst Robert Redford was always who I imagined RCB as, that’s possibly because when I read it I was unaware of Michael Fassbender and Jude Law…….young, of course.
I can but dream!

Sorry I thought you meant when it was set!

I wish they’d get on with casting Rivers of London… Rege Jean Page is my current Peter Grant 😊

Pics of Freddie and Tony looking nothing like they are supposed to in my head https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1748799/Danny-Dyer-unrecognisable-rivals

For some reason that photo made me LOL. He looks so not like Freddie in my head - I thought he had blondey / ginger hair (it has been a while since I read it so I may well have got him mixed up with another character).

You’re right Doublefaced, Freddie is meant to have red-gold curls!

They don't look anything like how I pictured them. Danny Dyers moustache is hilarious.

He looks more like a 1970s cop from a Carry On film.

Oh no no no!!! They look alllllll wrong

But RCB is blonde….

RCB is famously blonde. And Taggie has “a cloud of dark hair”. Why does no-one look like they should, except Declan and Maud? Hair and makeup had better get the dye on their locks, or it will ruin it for me. I’ve been reading the Rutshire Chronicles since Riders in 1986, and re-read it recently (again). Just starting to re-read Rivals, without knowing anything about Disney adapting it.

I don’t think that thick, meaty books like these can be precis-ed down to a 2 hour film (Riders, shockingly bad if you’ve read the book) or an 8 part series as Rivals is set to be. There are so many characters, so many plots and subplots, and so much dialogue that a huge amount gets left out due to time constraints. I doubt even a 22 episode series would do justice to JC’s story telling skills.

Rufus Jones is nowhere near old enough to be the ageing Paul Stratton, either.

I was momentarily excited when I stumbled on this bit of news, but having seen the casting, I’m now just harrumping all over the place.

Harrumph. :(

I had no idea this was happening! I'm gutted it's not Polo though, far superior book imo and i literally can't think of anyone who would match the perfection that RCB is in my head 😅

So excited for this 😄

When is it on??