11 hours ago
The 'Rivals' Season 2 Locations Have Been Revealed — This Is Everywhere The Series Is Being Filmed
Rivals fans, rejoice! Filming of the hit Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's hit 1988 novel is once again underway and eagle-eyed sleuths have taken to TikTok to share their findings of where the hit series is currently shooting.
The first series of Rivals may have had many twists and turns, but in fact the series only completed the first half of the book, and so the second series (which is expected to be released in early 2026) will, it is widely assumed, complete the book.
The first season of Rivals was based on the second out of 11 of Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles, which all centre around Cooper's lust-worthy hero, Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). While the plot varies in each of the author's books, at the centre of each of their storylines is the broodingly handsome, aristocratic, 30-something politician Rupert, who, in the first series of Rivals, developed a romantic relationship O'Hara's daughter Agatha (Bella Maclean), otherwise known as Taggie, who is 20. Cooper has previously revealed that Campbell-Black was a composite of the Duchess of Cornwall's first husband Andrew Parker Bowles, fashion designer Rupert Lycett Green, and Michael Howard, the 21st Earl of Suffolk.
Among the filming locations used for Rivals' inaugural season were Wiltshire's Neston Park, which was used as the palatial home of Lord and Lady Tony Baddingham, and Chavenage House in Gloucestershire, which was transformed into the home of Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner).
If a series three were to follow the plot of third Rutshire Chronicles book Polo!, then perhaps the season would focus on the relationship between polo player Ricky France-Lynch and Perdita MacLeod, who is obsessed with becoming a top performing polo player.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, this is everything you need to know about the filming locations that are currently being used for Rivals season two.
Fans have flocked to TikTok to share videos of Danny Dyer (who plays Freddie Jones) and Hassell filming scenes at the Beaufort Polo Club in Berkeley, Gloucestershire.
This nods to the suggestion that the second season of Rivals may well include elements of the third book in the series, where Perdita becomes desperate to be a polo rider.
Fans have found that filming has taken place in Berkeley Castle over the past couple of weeks, with the town understood to be the setting used as the series' fictional base of Rutshire.
David Tennant (who plays Tony Baddingham) and Claire Rushbrook (Lady Monica Baddingham) are just two stars of the series to have been spotted shooting scenes on the high street of Corsham, a sleepy market town in Wiltshire. That's not all though: shop fronts in the town have even been transformed to bring the 1980s set to life. Per the BBC, Corsham's Coppins Jewellers has been temporarily transformed into Cotchester Jewellers, Boots has become an old-fashioned Waitrose and the local town hall has been transformed into a polling station.
'People love it. It brings trade to the town. Tourists come and find where things were filmed and take photos,' a local shop owner told the outlet.
Emily Atack (who plays Sarah Stratton) recently posted to her Instagram with the Rivals cast in the city, proving that the South Western hotspot will, once again, provide the backdrop for much of the show's second season.
The Cosy Club Bristol and the Harbour Hotel on Corn Street — which doubled as a London hotel — are both among those to have been used so far for filming season two.
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Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
