OK, let\u2019s not beat about the bush. Rivals, Jilly Cooper\u2019s bonkbuster, is back, so you\u2019ll be wanting to know about the sex.\u00a0Come on \u2014 it\u2019s what everyone else asks.<\/p>\n
Well, I can tell you there is lots of it: swimming pool sex, hot tub sex, shower sex, staircase sex, bare buttocks being thwacked with a riding crop. If you thought the new series (out on Friday on Disney+) would be dialling down the raunch, think again. Though by Rivals\u2019 standards it does take a while for the first pants to drop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You must wait a whole eight minutes before two young male polo players, twins, no less, rip off their trunks and jump into a pool \u2014 an entirely gratuitous full-frontal male nudity shot and a synchronised double whammy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Despite its deliberate corniness, this is also gloriously uplifting television. It is unashamedly celebratory and perhaps even better than the last series, though there is no naked tennis this time, judging by the four episodes I\u2019ve seen. Sorry about that.<\/p>\n
Buckle up again for a brazen OTT\u00a0romp through the 1980s posho set of Rutshire, where everyone seems to be rutting everyone else\u2019s spouse before readjusting their bouffant hairdo and having another glass of champagne. There is a tribute to Cooper, who died last year, at the end of episode one, with a lovely photo that brought a lump to my throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I am not allowed to give away too much about the first four episodes but it\u2019s no spoiler to say that the baddie Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), who was whacked over the head with a gold statuette at the end of series one, did not die, because he is in the new trailer and scowling from all the promo posters. With a scar on his head and a black eye, he plans messy revenge on Cameron (Nafessa Williams), Declan (Aidan Turner) and the dashing cad\/MP Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), who has captured the heart of Declan\u2019s daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean) and she moons after him all doe-eyed.<\/p>\n
The daft plot is ostensibly about a TV franchise war, but really it\u2019s about love and power; the male-dominated willy-waving kind of 1987, an era when Baddingham can say without fear of cancellation to his pregnant employee Sarah that she had better get rid of her \u201clittle inconvenience\u201d for the sake of her TV career (I can\u2019t reveal who the father is, but brace yourselves). Then again, one of his TV shows is not shy about its homophobia, threatening to out, in the music industry, \u201cthe poofs of pop\u201d.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also an era when, regardless of being with child, Sarah (Emily Atack) doesn\u2019t much reduce her martini or cigarette intake. People seem to smoke all the time, even when on horseback before a polo match. A character is called \u201cMuffy\u201d purely, it seems, to tee-up the double entendre \u201cYou\u2019re into Muffy\u201d. There is a great kitchen scene done like a French farce. An underrated character is that of Lady Monica Baddingham (Claire Rushbrook), who is sadly aware of her terrible husband\u2019s shenanigans and walks out of rooms saying, \u201cCome on, dogs!\u201d<\/p>\n
Little is taken too seriously in Cooper\u2019s world (one character keeps repeating \u201cNeil Kinnock\u201d to stop becoming aroused and there\u2019s a marmalade-dropping line about Mrs Thatcher), and yet the series still has huge heart. It is tender and well-observed about relationships when it needs to be.<\/p>\n
So expect more sensitive yearning between Freddie (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) and\u2026 well. My lips must be sealed beyond that. Except to say that Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark!) has to pull the most hilariously bad orgasm face in a shower sex scene that I did not care to rewind. Rest assured: there is much to look forward to here. Pop a cork and enjoy.
\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605
Episodes 1-3 out on Disney+ on Friday<\/p>\n
Love TV? Discover the\u00a0best shows on Netflix<\/a>, the\u00a0best Prime Video TV shows<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0best Apple TV+ shows<\/a>. Don\u2019t forget to check\u00a0our critics\u2019 choices to watch<\/a>\u00a0and our comprehensive\u00a0TV guide<\/a>, plus our look at the finest\u00a0films<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0TV shows<\/a>\u00a0this month<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OK, let\u2019s not beat about the bush. Rivals, Jilly Cooper\u2019s bonkbuster, is back, so you\u2019ll be wanting to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-577881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}