The second season of Rivals, the adaptation of Jilly Cooper's 1980s bonkbuster, has arrived after a 30-year wait, and it is a triumph of gloriously knowing escapism. The series follows the antics of Rupert Campbell-Black, a bounder and scoundrel played by Alex Hassell, as he navigates sex, politics, and television rivalries in Rutshire. The show revels in its preposterousness, with nude tennis, crisis bonks, and a horse in pink legwarmers, all delivered with a wink and a snigger.
The plot centres on the 1987 general election and the battle for the Central South West television franchise. Rupert faces off against Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and tabloid hack Beattie (Annabel Scholey), while hiding his lover Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams) from Tony in a Devon love-cottage. The acting is superb, with Aidan Turner as Declan O'Hara delivering a memorable shower scene, and Rupert Everett as show-jumping coach Malise Gordon.
The series is saturated with cigarette smoke and affection for the 1980s, making casual bigotry and venality look quaint. The dialogue is fabulous, with references to Frank Bough and jokes about outdated attitudes to homophobia and Aids. Rivals walks this tonal tightrope in a flammable fuchsia tutu, perfectly balancing absurdity with heart.
This is escapism beyond earthly praise. If I could give it 10,000 stars, I would. Instead, let us insert a single rose between its tireless bum cheeks and raise a glass of Cinzano to its naked audacity. Bottoms up!
