With a big, brash bonk, the best show on telly — Rivals — is back, bursting with misty-eyed nostalgia thanks to details such as hefty Alice bands, A-reg Austin Metros and tubs of Neapolitan ice cream. The two key architects of the visual feast are the production designer Dominic Hyman and Ray Holman on costumes.
Hyman, who won a Bafta for the first series, has excellent sources from auctions to car boot sales, as well as the extraordinary world of prop-hire houses. “The diversity is incredible,” Hyman says of the latter. “Some only rent drapes, some do period television studio equipment.” And when his team can’t unearth what they need, they make it. In series two an entire Waitrose shopfront and its plastic bags were recreated from scratch with the help of the supermarket to access the graphic archives for accuracy.
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Layered with a bucket of Elnett hairspray on top is, of course, the fashion. “Series two is bigger and richer,” Holman says. The task is mammoth. “Some days we’ll have up to 250 supporting artists and 45 principles to dress.”
Invaluable research comes from old copies of Vogue, Tatler, Country Living and The Sunday Times Magazine (“I’m not just saying that,” he says with a laugh), as well as vintage shops, costume houses and the internet. Old adverts — from perfume and watches to cigarettes — are as useful for his mood boards as fashion-shoot imagery.
Cameron Cook is all about red, power suits and bold goldRobert Viglasky
The key to the Rivals look is “the naturalistic feel”, Holman says. “Clothes are not worn perfectly, a tie will be loose. They’re real, they’ve been wearing it all day. Maud [O’Hara, played by Victoria Smurfit] doesn’t have a pair of slippers. She’ll wear thick, woolly socks because she’s walking on stone floors.”
The TV producer Cameron Cook (played by Nafessa Williams), on the other hand, is very much not in socks. Her sharp, bold, red power suits and gobstopper gold earrings have the kind of Working Girl attitude that Sigourney Weaver would have broken a leg for. “I started with Sade, Whitney Houston,” Holman says of his inspiration. “We used original tailoring too. Lolita Lempicka, Azzedine Alaïa, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel as well. Sometimes something will be just the right size, the right period. Then you might find something not in the right size but that is perfect, so we’ll recreate it.”
Lizzie and Freddie in the new seriesRobert Viglasky
One of this season’s new characters, Helen Gordon (Rupert’s ex-wife, played by Hayley Atwell), appears in polka dots and tailoring — “big shoulders, nipped-in waist” — all made for her. In contrast, the look for Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson) is cosy cardigans and old Laura Ashley. “Katherine absolutely loves vintage fashion, she gets obsessed with something new each week,” Holman says. He doesn’t let the cast borrow anything. “But yes, Katherine tries all the time.”
In one episode Sarah Stratton, played by Emily Atack, wears a jumpsuit (very Challenge Anneka). “We found an original one in a vintage shop in Bristol. It was so Eighties it was brilliant. But, because of the story, we needed three copies in Corinium colours. So we made them.”
For the second series brand archives have also been opened up to them now. Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) has some original Dunhill suits. Mulberry sent a “box full of Eighties bags”. Holman has worked with Burberry, Ray-Ban, Omega and Longines. “But I don’t prefer one brand to another, I am objective,” he says.
The social climber Valerie Jones (Lisa McGrillis) is a particular treat. “We could go bonkers with Valerie, and even though you think she looks bonkers on screen, we’ve been through even more bonkers things before we get to that point. She never reveals too much flesh. She loves a floral and a shoulder pad. The whole idea about her is that she runs a clothing boutique. The more classic women, they’re wearing tweeds. Valerie is saying, ‘Come to my boutique.’ It’s her version of high-class Eighties fashion.”
The key to clever costuming is the way it subtly reinforces characters. For instance, Atack’s Sarah and the tabloid journalist Beattie Johnson (Annabel Scholey) are vying to be Tony Baddingham’s top telly totty. In a scene where Tony (David Tennant) is rallying his Corinium army, “they’re standing next to each other, they’re antagonistic”. To reflect this Holman “put them in really clashing patterns. Beattie is always slightly cooler, more rock’n’roll, fashionable and wears black. Sarah is a bit more brash.”
Valerie’s high-class Eighties fashionRobert Viglasky
Social class is reflected in riveting details. Tony’s pinky ring was custom-made by Alex Monroe. “I don’t know if anybody has noticed but it has the Corinium ram on it. Tony’s nouveau, he’s had that made.” Unlike the inherited gold signet ring on Rupert Everett’s cravated Malise Gordon, another new character. “There are certain colours that are split up according to their class. Malise wouldn’t wear a taupe suit — he wears blues. Freddie [Danny Dyer] doesn’t wear a pinky ring, but he does wear a gold digital watch — he’s a modern man. Monica [Tony’s wife, played by Claire Rushbrook] is classic, she’s pearls and old watches, it’s old and passed down. Lizzie is quirky, she’ll have fuchsia earrings.” She does, however, have a good watch. “That’s what she bought herself when she had her first novel published.” That’s also why she has a sparkly Princess Di-style sapphire engagement ring. “When James was wooing her, she was the person with the money, so she got herself a really good ring.”
The wonderful chump that is James Vereker (a little Richard Madeley, a little Nick Owen; played by Oliver Chris) has a trove of horrendous sweaters. “We try to find the worst jumpers we can, and we use originals if possible. If they’re very specific to a scene, I design them and get them made up by Corgi in Wales.” Sometimes shots are filmed on an original Eighties Ikegami camera: “The knitwear can strobe. I have to do camera tests on all James’s jumpers to make sure they’re going to work.”
Declan, above, and Taggie O’Hara, below, wear low-key silver chains: “They’re not part of fashion”Disney+
Robert Viglasky
There are Argos-catalogue-coded gold chains glistening on the chests of the men in one pool scene. “Freddie will wear a gold chain. Bas [Baddingham, played by Luca Pasqualino] will as he’s an international playboy. Rupert won’t, he’s not that crass. The O’Haras don’t wear gold, they wear silver chains. Patrick [Gabriel Tierney], Declan [Aidan Turner] and Taggie [Bella Maclean] all have tiny silver necklaces, to set them apart. They’re not part of fashion.” Although Maud has flashes — often wearing green — but also “Seventies Biba, in her bohemian way”.
Tony’s suits are bespoke. Cooper wrote that he based his look on a production of Bugsy Malone, hence the double-breasted style. Holman unearthed “an original Eighties fabric with a red chalk stripe. He has matching socks but they’re not tasteful. It’s a little bit gangster.” Rupert has a Valentino Prince of Wales check suit. Declan’s are real Irish tweed. Fit is crucial, but pity poor Freddie, whose suits Holman cuts small, “because Valerie berates Freddie about his eating and weight, so they’re a little snug”.
Before shooting everything is fitted and photographed for the showrunners. “Most things make the pass,” he says. “Sometimes we tone it down, but to be honest we think, let’s just make it fun. Isn’t Rivals the perfect show to cheer people up? If you’re in one of those tasteless, clashing scenes, it’s part of the character.”
Rivals season 2 is available now on Disney+