Jilly Cooper’s Rivals films in Bristol for Disney+
A lengthy shoot gets underway in Bristol this week (w/c 6 March) on a shiny new Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals. Production is based at the Bottle Yard Studios’ new facility, TBY2.
Happy Prince is producing the eight-part series, with the prodco’s Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Alexander Lamb executive producing, along with Elliot Hegarty (who is lead director on episodes 1-3) Cooper, Felicity Blunt, Laura Wade and Lee Mason. Eliza Mellor is series producer.
Rivals is set in the fictional county of Rutshire (as part of the author’s Rutshire Chronicles series of books) and is set in the cutthroat world of independent television in the late 1980s.
Cooper’s regular protagonist, the dashing Rupert Campbell-Black, is at the centre as he comes up against his rival, Rutshire neighbour and TV franchise controller Tony Baddingham.
Treadwell-Collins has written the series with Laura Wade. The writers’ room also includes Sophie Goodhart, Marek Horn, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Dare Aiyegbayo, Kufi Chadwick, Tray Agyeman and Sorcha Kurien Walsh.
At the time of the commissioning announcement, Cooper (pictured, above) said of the greenlight: “I am so, so excited. Throughout my childhood, my favourite word was ‘Disney’, and by a miraculous coincidence, greater-than-ever Disney are joining forces with an utterly brilliant drama company, Happy Prince, to turn my novel into a TV series.
“I know they will bring the boardroom battles and love triangles of my characters to life – particularly those of my devastatingly handsome hero. I cannot wait to see who will be stepping into his shoes…let the hunt for our Rupert Campbell-Black commence!”
TBY2, which opened last year, is situated less than half a mile from the main Bottle Yard site in south Bristol. It offers three new acoustically-treated sound stages with 20,000 sq ft, 16,500 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft of clear span build space with maximum heights of 34ft. Over 40,000 sq ft of ancillary space is also available.
The three new stages at TBY2 increase the total number of stages at The Bottle Yard Studios to 11.
Jilly Cooper image: Edward Whitaker, Racing Post.
TBY2 Studios via Bottle Yard Studios.
Also on The Knowledge
Intimacy practice becomes university course
The world’s first university-validated Intimacy Practice MFA (Master of Fine Arts) course has been launched, by Intimacy on Set and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, led by intimacy practitioner Ita O’Brien.
Online session: Understanding set decorating for film
A ScreenSkills-funded, online session called Understanding set decorating for film is being held on 28 March, for those currently working in the art department for film and HETV drama who wish to move into set decorating.
Panalux joins Pioneer Film Studios as Scottish production hub grows
Panalux has become the latest screen-sector company to join Pioneer Film Studios’ site, as the facility – Scotland’s largest studio complex – aims to become a national production hub.
UKTV sends Gavin and Stacey actors on road trip
Filming began yesterday (27 Feb) on UKTV Original series, Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry, in which Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb journey along the now-iconic Essex-South Wales route, as featured in comedy Gavin and Stacey.
Darkly comic thriller Passenger begins shooting near Manchester
As recently confirmed on Production Intelligence, filming has begun on Passenger, a new, darkly comic thriller from SISTER for ITV.
Looking Glass report shows changes in screen-sector mental health
The Film and TV Charity has published the results of the Looking Glass Survey ‘22, providing an industry-wide review of the state of mental health and wellbeing in the film and television sector.