It's the Disney Plus series that has gotten everyone talking and rather understandably, Rivals fans are beginning to wonder if the new drama is based on real events. Set in the world of '80s independent television, the eight-part series takes us right into the belly of the beast as we see Lord Tony Baddingham ( David Tennant ) go up against his arch-nemesis Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and former employee Declan O'Hara ( Aidan Turner ) to bag Rutshire's TV franchise. The series is, of course, based on the Jilly Coope r novel of the same name that was published in 1988, and has gone down a storm with fans of the original book and newbies alike.
Ahead of the release of the series, Cooper told BBC News that the new series is an "absolutely wonderful" adaptation, saying: "It’s fun. It’s quite naughty too. There is a lot of sex.
In one episode they have every member of the cast coupled and fornicating for the next 20 minutes and all of that." But is the series based on a true story at all? Read on to find out. Is Rivals based on a true story? No, Rivals is not based on a true story.
However, it is based on the Jilly Cooper novel of the same name, which is inspired by Cooper's own experiences of life in the '80s and living in the Cotswolds. In fact, one of the book – and show's – main characters, Rupert Campbell-Black is actually inspired by two of Cooper's friends in real life, Andrew Parker-Bowles – the former husband of Queen Camilla – and British fashion des.
