Katherine Parkinson, the Bafta-winning actor, has criticised television for its lack of female perspectives on sex, praising the Disney+ series Rivals for its “radical” depiction. Speaking at a preview screening in Bristol, Parkinson highlighted the show’s portrayal of sex from a woman’s viewpoint, noting that such representation is rare on screen.
Rivals, based on Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles, follows the cutthroat world of British television in the fictional Cotswolds county of Rutshire. The show is known for its frequent and explicit sex scenes, which have drawn both attention and acclaim. The first three episodes of the second series were released on Friday, continuing the trend with what a Guardian critic described as a “crisis bonk” within the opening minutes.
Parkinson, who plays romance author Lizzie Vereker, appeared in a sex scene with co-star Danny Dyer in the first season’s finale. She told the audience at the Everyman Bristol: “The great thing that Rivals does is … there are truths being told that I don’t feel that I’ve necessarily seen … there’s a sort of bravery to that. And it sort of feels quite radical.” She added that Jilly Cooper “wrote brilliantly from the female perspective about sex”, but that television has rarely followed suit.
The screening also honoured Cooper, who died in October 2025 after a fall at her Gloucestershire home. Attendees raised a glass in her memory before the episode. Filming for the second series took place at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios, with locations within a 30-mile radius. The West of England mayor, Helen Godwin, noted that the series has boosted the regional economy by millions of pounds and encouraged film-making outside London.
