Rivals Returns with Rupert Campbell-Black's Shameless Antics in Series Two

Rupert Campbell-Black returns as the ultimate bounder in the second series of Rivals, Jilly Cooper's unapologetic 1980s bonkbuster adaptation. Show-jumping coach Malise Gordon, played by Rupert Everett, calls him a loose cannon as Alex Hassell's Rupert aims his anatomy at yet another eager local.

The series reduces every body part and life event to cartoonish antics, complete with nude tennis and the MP for Chalford and Bisley shouting 'Tit fault!' Rupert, the minister for sport and self-proclaimed most handsome man in England, struts in jodhpurs and bellows lines like 'ARE YOU READY FOR ME TO COME DOWN YOUR CHIMNEY?' during sex. Men respect his ruthlessness; horses draw to his reckless style.

Last seen fleeing with producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams) after she struck Corinium TV boss Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) with a trophy, Rupert hides her in his Devon love cottage. Tony had learned of her ties to rival consortium Venturer and Rupert, then slapped her. The pair indulge in crisis sex: panting debriefs amid Silk Cut smoke, frantic stairs encounters, mirror shouting, and a barnyard romp where Rupert buries his face in Cameron's chest and yells 'NYAAAAARRR' as she whips his thighs with a riding crop.

A plot emerges amid the action. As the 1987 general election looms, Rupert fights to keep his seat against Tony and tabloid hack Beattie (Annabel Scholey), who plot to ruin him. The contest for the Central South West television franchise intensifies.

The cast delivers huge, gleeful performances through a haze of hairspray. Aidan Turner shines as mustachioed broadcaster Declan O’Hara, his shower climax face with wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit) unforgettable—like a badger spotting a forgotten Vesta curry. Random moments pop up: a horse in pink legwarmers, a dancing sheepdog close-up, twin polo players stripping to leap winking into a pool.

Frames brim with cigarette smoke and 1980s affection, turning casual bigotry and venality quaint as boil-in-the-bag cod with Micro Chips. Dialogue sparkles with Frank Bough nods and jokes on outdated homophobia and Aids panic. The show balances tones with flair.