47/28

Coincidentally, Aidan Turner has previously filmed at Chavenage House (The Priory in Rivals)

Tale

Follow Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Baddingham as they have a long-running rivalry that comes to a head. The same location was also used to represent Trenwith House in the BBC’s 2015 TV adaptation of Poldark.

In many ways his work is more akin to Restoration comedy than Carry On, with characters more developed and alive than you might expect

In the 90s there was a dreadful version of Jilly Cooper’s Riders, since then TV has shied away from its ‘bonkbusters’ with critics feeling that Jilly Cooper’s novels were outdated and ridiculous. This is far from the truth, Cooper satirises the upper middle classes of the Cotswolds with a steely wit and has always understood comedy, character and funny plots.

The changes are minor and open up the period and politics more

Disney now brings us RIVALS, with a stellar cast and the good news is that it is a terrific film, yes, it is full of naughty moments, boobs and butts, and even the occasional Willy. The triumph of this film is that it has the budget and time to do justice to the spirit and feel of the original book.

He does a truly creditable job

Bella Maclean is brilliant as the central character of Tagie and Alex Hassel does a great job as Rupert, a role that is impossible to cast because no one in the story can be the character that Cooper created – part villain, part Adonis, part whiny child . The real stars of this film are the ensemble of great actors Emily Atack, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson, all of whom give career-best performances.

I really liked it

The 80s soundtrack is perfect from start to finish and makes Rivals a real triumph for Disney. It’s fun, it’s frothy but there’s a deeper undercurrent that elevates it above a reference film and offers hope that we’ll see a lot more of this team and this universe in the future.