50/29
Coincidentally, Aidan Turner previously filmed at Chavenage House (The Priory in Rivals)
Narrative
It follows Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Baddingham as their long-running rivalry comes to a head. The same filming location was also used to portray Trenwith House in the BBC TV adaptation of Poldark in 2015.
I read Rivals a few years ago and loved every page!
It’s very difficult to compare the book and its characters to its TV adaptation, as we all have our own perception of how certain characters should look and behave. Plus, while we can read a book at our leisure, TV has to move at a pace that suits the format and not drag, so some characters or side stories may have to be cut for the sake of time.
He makes us love Declan as much as we hate Lord B!
That said, yes, there are differences to the book, but none so great that they ruin the overall fun and entertainment value. The characters, especially Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara, the honest journalist, and David Tennant as the nasty Lord B are great!
It was great to see Jilly Cooper in the lunch scene at the restaurant
The 80’s music is fantastic, although the only part I found irritating was the sharp operatic music at the opening, it just didn’t fit. As for all the sex scenes, yes, we could do without some of them as we all have imaginations, but that wouldn’t be the book Cooper wrote.
She seemed to really enjoy the show, as did I
The last episode ended quite differently from the book, so I hope there’s at least one more season where we get to see what happens to Taggie and RCB… And of course, we know that damn Lord B has to be around to cause more damage.