As Rivals returns for its second season, the cast have paid tribute to the late Dame Jilly Cooper, whose unmistakable voice, wit and Gloucestershire-rooted world continue to shape every moment of the drama.
Rivals returns for a second season tonight, continuing the television adaptation of the celebrated Rutshire novels by the late Dame Jilly Cooper, whose unmistakable voice and Gloucestershire-set world of scandal, romance and excess continue to define the series filmed across the Cotswolds.
Key filming locations include Berkeley Castle, Chavenage House, near Tetbury, used to evoke aristocratic power and tradition, and Beaufort Polo Club, which captures the elite sporting culture and social competition at the heart of the series.
Although Dame Jilly died in October 2025 following a fall at her home in Bisley, her influence remains central to the series. Cast and crew repeatedly emphasise that her creative input shaped everything from tone to dialogue, ensuring the adaptation stayed faithful to her distinctive style.
David Tennant, who plays Lord Tony Baddingham, described the shock felt across the production following the death of Dame Jilly Cooper, recalling how closely she remained involved throughout filming: “I wasn’t on set the day we found out, but I happened to bump into Felicity Blunt, one of our executive producers and Jilly’s long-term agent and friend. She was just devastated. It was such a shock – we were all blindsided, because we’d got so used to having Jilly there, having her be part of the process, being thrilled by her visits to set. She was such a part of this – it all came from her.
“She was our grand master. To suddenly not have her there anymore still doesn’t feel quite real. I feel very honoured to have known her and to be part of this. I feel thrilled that she got to see how beloved the show was – I saw the delight she took in that. This was an unexpectedly glorious final act for her, as it turns out, and I feel very honoured to be a little part of it. She seemed so pleased with what we were doing. She was always so positive and encouraging. She was so full of life and joy that it’s very hard to imagine that isn’t there anymore. But she’s still very much part of the story we’re telling. The very uniqueness of the tone comes from her – that specific world and set of characters she created. You kind of know when you get it right. You go, oh, that feels like Rivals, that feels like Jilly’s world. It’s hard to put into words, but you just know when you get it right.”
Aidan Turner, who plays Declan O’Hara, said Cooper remained a visible and energetic presence throughout production: “It was felt. It really was. Jilly would be around quite a bit – every few weeks we’d see her or hear she was on set. She was very much part of the writing room: she’d get drafts of the scripts and have notes and make amendments. Some of the writers and producers would see Jilly a lot more than some of the actors would, but we definitely knew when she was around – on set, at different events. She was just always so much fun, so proud of the show, and loved us all so much. Typical brilliant Jilly – naughty and flirty and fun and clever, and when she didn’t want to be any of those things, she’d give you just brilliant notes about the show and your character. She is greatly missed. We were all pretty shocked. Only about five weeks prior, we’d been at a garden party at her house and she was on flying form – making speeches, hosting us all brilliantly. She wasn’t ill or anything like that; there wasn’t a slow demise of this amazing character. One day she was there and the next day she wasn’t. She was such a force. But I’m just so glad – we all are – that she got to see the show. That this didn’t happen during the first season, and that she got to see all her characters come to life, her story come to life.”
Alex Hassell, who plays Rupert Campbell-Black, reflected on Cooper’s continuing influence on the tone and spirit of the series: “I’d say talking about Jilly. Her death in the midst of this whole show has been really impactful. We were always thinking of her anyway because we’re completely in her world, her imagination and her taste. She’d come on set and be so encouraging, and she gave notes on all of the scripts in season two, which is so important. Her spirit really imbues every frame and every moment. She’s really missed, and we all hope this can be part of a testament to her skill and her nature and her outlook.”
Executive producer Felicity Blunt described how closely the series continued to follow Cooper’s voice: “The first season we really embraced Jilly’s voice and trusted that the audience would come with us, given her enduring popularity and appeal. We also had Jilly on side – she was razor-sharp about her feedback, her line edits, the tone, the vocabulary. She was heavily across season two as well, so it comes with that armour: Jilly Cooper’s seal of approval.”
Actor Rupert Everett, who joins season two as Malise Gordon, reflected on Cooper’s writing and legacy: “The remarkable thing about her writing, particularly today, is that creative work has one life at the beginning and then develops another quite often. People wrote her off slightly at the start, but I think she’s an extraordinary writer – a kind of Seventies, Eighties Jane Austen. Her attitude to sex is so refreshing compared to today’s mealy-mouthed tiptoeing around the subject.”
The world Cooper created is also deeply rooted in place, and season two once again makes full use of the landscapes of the Cotswolds, where the fictional county of Rutshire comes to life. The production leans into the contrast between idyllic countryside and ruthless ambition, a hallmark of Cooper’s storytelling.
Executive producer Alexander Lamb reflected on Cooper’s presence during filming: “She was on set loads this series. The last time I saw Jilly was shamelessly flirting with Rupert Everett – it was hilarious. It’s really hitting now, as we move into this space of publicity and marketing. Jilly is really gone.”
Despite her death, Cooper remains a guiding presence in the production’s creative direction. Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins emphasised that her influence continues into future planning: “We talked to Jilly about our idea for season three. She signed it off. She’s still with us – she was with us as we were going through the end of two, she’s with us as we’re developing three. And on top of that, we’ve got to remember fun, because that’s what Jilly always made sure we did. We’ve all become such good friends through Jilly.”
With its blend of scandal, romance and satire set against the backdrop of Gloucestershire’s grand estates and polo fields, season two of Rivals continues to translate Cooper’s exuberant literary world into a vividly realised on-screen spectacle rooted firmly in the landscapes she knew best.
Rivals season two is available on Disney from Friday, May 15.
