Jilly Cooper's Rivals on Disney - episode 1 discussion thread WITH SPOILERS! Open the Pouilly Fume & curl up on the sofa with a lurcher puppy here!

[TheSecondMrsCampbellBlack]

Exciting!

Disney need to employ us as casting agents 😁👍

I would have liked James Norton for Rupert. He could certainly pull off “handsomest man in England”.

oh yep she was fab in that bbc murdery thing.

I'd have cast Luke Evans as Tony Baddingham, but Disney seem to be hanging the whole thing off David Tennant as the huge star.

Off topic - my ancient paperback copy calls him Lord Bullingham? And I think it makes reference to his "bull neck"

yes the original was Bullingham then they changed it later.

I think they had to change it from Bullingham to Baddingham as there was a real Lord Bullingham who threatened to sue!

Red is handsome as a red setter and filthy (in a good way)

If money is no object then I'm sure Robert Kazinsky ( Sean Slater in Eastenders ) could grab the red hairdye and learn to ride a horse ?

Im on Episode 6. there’s not been much parenting done this weekend I can tell you!! I’m loving this series. I used to secretly read my mums jilly coopers when I was far too young, it’s how I learnt about sex!! Loving seeing the characters and the 80‘s bought to life!!

I think we are getting Polo next, they can’t leave it where it is and I think the letter in the fire sets the scene.

Im annoyed about Archie B becoming gay/bi. There is a whole subplot around him and Caitlin in the book. As it gets nastier he and Caitlin fall in love, very Romeo and Juliet and hilarious that the Baddinghams and O Haras potentially are going to be linked together forever.

God, I loved it. There is enough in there of the book to make it good but also some new bits. The casting in the main has been good. Even with RCB and blonde hair. Beattie needed to be more chaotic and grubbier tho 😂 I don’t understand why they changed the Archie/Caitlin dynamic 🤷‍♀️ and also the Maud/Tony arc added drama in the book.

The other thing about Rivals that I wonder how they will tackle is when the book starts it’s all about Tony/Cameron and at first he’s not the baddy, as the book progresses it becomes more Declan/Rupert focussed and Tony becomes the villain but you hear less of his voice and you get to hear actions from other people- cue Monica and her big diamond covered “rough from gardening” hands.

it always struck me how cleverly it was written.

There was something in the book where Tony let himself into the flat in London and found his son in bed with a young woman. Archie saw her home ( to show he has manners and well brought up) Tony was secretly pleased at his sons antics but told him not to do it in his Mother's bed and hoped he used protection etc. I thought then he was wondering about Archie's sexuality so maybe this adaptation took that forward ?

Did anyone else notice that in the opening scenes on "Concorde" that the signs said Alderton Airlines? Hopefully that is a sign of more to come with Polo?

I've been trying to work out the timeline, because I seem to remember that it was all a bit muddled up with where Polo and Rivals crossed over. Doesn't Polo end with the 1987 hurricane, yet we're already in 1987 now in this adaptation of Rivals I think.

Binged the first 5 on my own on Friday afternoon and yesterday morning, then yesterday afternoon and this evening rewatched them and the remaining three with DH!
The ending has left me rather deflated as it was unexpected, I thought it woukd finish where the book finishes. However if it does mean a further series that's great.
Absolutely loved it but never did get past RCB casting,

Just starting this now, can I join in?

I am worried I won’t be able to get over the casting. Even Gertrude isn’t black and white, how hard is it to find a black and white dog 😂🙈

Except for Declan’s Mini. That’s bang on.

OMG Ive finished it now, what a shocking ending, and not at all as per the end of the book but surely there’s another series?! Hope so!

I know! We finished it around 45 minutes ago and I'm still shocked.

Of course you can join in! Welcome 🤗

Yay!

I’m intrigued by the ending now…

This is way better than Riders from years ago, but so far I haven’t seen a single correctly cast actor. However, I guess Queen Jilly is involved and she clearly loves them… although if you read interviews with her, she genuinely seems to love everyone, bless her!

Never read the book. Is that how the book ends? Is there a book that follows on from this. Surely they're not leaving it like that. There must be a season two?

Riders was made previously by another studio and may still “belong” to them.

Yes the O’Hara’s house is also used in Poldark. Wonder how confused Aidan Turner felt!

No spoilers but I can say the book ties up all threads.

The 80’s styling and music is excellent, at least!

I’ve been waiting for this for years and super excited since the cast was announced 12 months ago. Binge watched the lot over the weekend and even with the changes to the book it was fabulous and worth waiting for. I suspect Disney was waiting to see how the first half was received before commissioning the rest; there’s so many hints that they are doing Polo as well, I hope that’s true!

Oh god yes. We would all be all a quiver.

I am slowly making a dream cast list in my mind!

Monica, who is supposed to be tall and indomitable and rather cold, I think could have been played really well by Emma Thompson (admittedly perhaps a few years ago as Emma is in her 60’s now)?

Taggie I always saw as a young Helena Bonham Carter, given that description of her “cloudy” dark hair.

Rupert - if we’re turning back time, I always assumed that JC had a young Robert Redford in mind to add to the honed muscled riding bodies and clipped drawls of the likes of Andrew Parker-Bowles!