The 'Rivals' Season 2 Locations Have Been Revealed — This Is Everywhere The Series Is Being Filmed
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.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
23 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Owners Can't Cope As 187lb Dog Is Needier Than a Puppy: 'Melt Your Heart'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Animal lovers are obsessed with a video of an enormous dog showing his attention-seeking side. The aptly-named Big D weighs 187 pounds, and according to his owners, is "more needy than [a] puppy"—as proven by a viral video to their TikTok account, @bigdandweenie. Posted on June 29, and viewed more than 1.3 million times, it shows a woman sitting on the sofa, with Big D relaxing beside her, sitting almost like a human with his back straight and his hind legs out before him. And as she tries to check something on her phone, the giant dog is determined to get some attention, and repeatedly taps her on the shoulder with his paw. She turns to him and smiles, asking: "What are you pawing me for?" And as he rests his huge paw on her shoulder yet again, she apologizes: "Sorry, was I ignoring you?" Big D stays in his same position, looking away and resting his paw protectively on her shoulder, only stopping when she scratches him under the chin—and as soon as she stops, the paw comes to rest on her again. The stand-off continues, with Big D continuing to tap her for attention every time she dares to look away or stop petting him. Big D is described in his owner's TikTok account as a Central Asian Ovcharka, also known as a Central Asian shepherd dog. The giant breed can grow up to 27.5 inches at the shoulder, and up to 110 pounds in weight, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). They are rare to see as pets, and do not make it on the AKC's list of the most popular dog breeds in the United States: the working dog breed has a natural instinct for territory, and are known for fearlessness towards large predators. Big D's owner explained in a comment that they have previously "raised many powerful breeds"—and they also own a tiny border terrier, Weenie, often seen playing with his much larger brother on their TikTok channel. Big D places his giant paw on his owner's shoulder. Big D places his giant paw on his owner's shoulder. TikTok @bigdandweenie Big D's video, captioned "Adorable Dogs That Melt Your Heart," proved popular with viewers, racking up close to 100,000 likes, as one commenter described the dog as a "distinguished gentleman," and another joked: "Whose horse is that?" One loved how Big D was "sitting like a human, the side eye, the expectation of constant attention," adding: "Love dogs." "His paw is nearly [the] size of her head," another pointed out, as another admitted: "My dog weighs 5 pounds, this blows my mind." Newsweek has contacted @bigdandweenie via TikTok for comment on this story. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Forbes
23 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Ironheart' Ended Strong, It Deserved Better Than This From Disney
Ironheart While I wasn't sold on the first three episodes of Ironheart when they aired last week, as reviews said, it really did pick up in the second half, and by the end, it delivered on its potential. But the show and character deserved better than how Disney delivered this series. The promotion for Ironheart has been all over the place. Despite the fact that it was allegedly ready to air some time ago, Ironheart was released a full three years after Riri Williams had her high-profile debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, when it should have been developed and aired much closer to that release. In addition to that, its late airing and focus on magic feels well outside anything that Marvel is currently doing, either on TV with its street-level punchy-shooty heroes like Daredevil or Punisher, or its larger Fantastic Four/Avengers projects. I would be floored if Riri ended up in either. I was extremely impressed with Dominique Thorne as the lead here, who didn't especially catch my eye with her appearance in Wakanda Forever but here, I thought she gave a charismatic, compelling performance in a way I feel like I haven't seen in one of these series since Iman Velani's Ms. Marvel. Ironheart Ironheart was a grounded tale in the sense that it was focused on both grief and the subsequent anxiety it brings. I can't say I've ever seen a hero actively have believable panic attacks in the Marvel universe before, and none of it felt forced. Action-wise, it's clear that this show has a larger budget than its viewership will justify, but its use of non-nanotech, mechanical suits is something that got lost in the MCU over time, and it was great to see it back. It would have been nice to see more than a single real suit fight, but alas, that's where the budget kicks in, no doubt. The show struggled the most with its villain, The Hood, though his character got better by the end (his outfit, however, did not). Easily the most MCU-significant moment of the series is finally the introduction of Mephisto after endless theorizing about his appearance in past series like WandaVision or Agatha All Along. Marvel decided to finally show him off here, and in more than just a post-credit tease or something along those lines. Sascha Baron Cohen may have seemed like an odd choice for the part, but he was excellent. Mephisto But the way this show has been handled, despite being set up for a second season dealing with the aftermath of Riri's deal with the devil, it seems almost certain nothing will come of this. There are no places where it feels like Riri or Mephisto would be slotted into the larger MCU from here, given its current focus and its next phase being X-Men-based. Ironheart was dumped out in three-episode batches with little fanfare, too late after it should have aired, and seemingly with no large plans to plug these great new characters in anywhere else. That's a shame. Watch it, appreciate it, but I guess now we just move on. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
She voiced M3gan. Now her breakup anthem is blowing up TikTok.
'In Texas, we have this saying called 'Go big or go home,'' says Jenna Davis. She's going big. Let's take a look at a day in her life — June 27, 2025 — for proof: she returned as the voice of the AI robot killer M3gan in M3GAN 2.0, which opened in theaters nationwide, and debuted her debut country album, Where Did That Girl Go? Phew! If Davis' big day hasn't landed on your radar yet, there's still a chance you've heard the 21-year-old's voice before, in the horror-comedy franchise or on the radio. But content creation is where she's found the most success so far. With a combined 10.4 million followers across YouTube, Instagram or TikTok, she's been growing and tending to her social media following, all the while pursuing the creative projects that she's most passionate about. Davis's first brush with social media stardom came in her childhood, when her voice teacher mom recorded videos of her singing covers in her apartment's parking garage, then uploaded them to Instagram. In one viral video from 2018, the then 14-year-old, wearing a denim jacket and rocking a severe side part, makes intense eye contact with the camera as she soulfully sings 'Jealous' by Labrinth. Davis says she learned her lesson about the eye contact — commenters used to say she was 'staring into their souls' — but is well aware that her adolescent awkwardness added to her charm back in the day. 'People just started to catch on and watch my content because I was a dorky little girl who didn't care what I looked like — rocking pigtails or weird miscolored outfits and just being me,' she tells Yahoo. 'I would look right into the camera and sing my little heart out.' Davis booked a few gigs over the years as an actress in shows like Raven's Home and Treehouse Detectives. As her follower count grew, she wanted to share more than just singing videos online. That's when she started acting more like a traditional influencer, attempting viral challenges and uploading prank videos. Some of her most popular videos include 'I SPENT THE NIGHT IN MY FRIENDS HOUSE & THEY HAD NO IDEA…' and 'EATING ONLY ONE COLORED FOOD FOR 24 HOURS!' The videos are high energy, colorful and frantically edited, appealing to youngsters with short attention spans. That makes her posts feel strangely authentic, like a teenager really could have produced them. 'I started just basically posting content that I felt reflected me, because I wanted my audience to know Jenna for Jenna,' she says. 'There's always an actor side that feels untouchable, or like you can't know that person, and I wanted to make sure that people could watch me and feel like they know me.' It could be why her single 'Miss Wannabe,' which she calls her 'most savage song yet,' has drawn comparisons to 'Before He Cheats' by Carrie Underwood, the quintessential female rage country song. It has blown up on TikTok, where authenticity is a social currency that can't be bought, as other creators shared the song with their own breakup stories. 'Well, she's a bottle of beer and I'm a glass of champagne / She's a fake veneer and I'm the real dang thing,' she sings cheekily, dismissing her ex's new partner as a cheap imitation. Later, she continues: 'He's kissing her, but he's missing me / I pity pretty little miss wannabe.' It is pretty savage. It's no coincidence that Davis is experiencing concurrent career highs. But, she insists, she's not capitalizing on recent viral success to propel her musical success; she's always been a singer (look no further than the awkward pre-teen videos that live on the internet forever). 'I don't know if I would go as far as to say it's insulting, but I think it's just not true,' she says of the implication. '[Having] a social media presence, everyone's going to have opinions, and that's OK.' She clearly has her own opinions too, and as she matures, her lyrics have as well. 'When I was younger… well, I was a child, so I didn't really have much to say,' Davis says. 'I don't think that as a little homeschooled girl, I had a lot of life experience … Now, I've gotten older and lived a bit longer and know what I want to say as an artist.' Her mom got her obsessed with country legends at a young age. Even after they moved from Texas to Los Angeles, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and Patsy Cline were on repeat. She's also related to Gene Autry, a country music icon known for 'Home on the Range' and 'Back in the Saddle Again,' whose career began in the 1930s. 'I love the storytelling of country music, and I think a lot of people have a phase when they're growing up and around country music so much that they turn from it,' she says. 'I was always just like, 'Give me more!'' Her upbringing may have helped mold her voice as a country singer, but the voice of a homicidal android that gave her her breakout acting role in M3GAN came to her while she was on the floor of her bedroom closet. That's where she auditioned for the gig, and given the odd circumstances, she was shocked to book the role — and thrilled when the movie became a surprise box office hit in 2023. Davis voices a doll powered by AI that goes on a murderous rampage. (Amie Donald plays the other half of the role, portraying her physically onscreen.) In the sequel, she's back with a different mission: Stopping another doll like her who has gone rogue and become a military-grade weapon. She's still pretty evil, but she's hellbent on protecting her young owner, Cady, at all costs. Davis has a lot of love for M3gan. As she told the news outlet PRIDE, she hopes that the character might become a horror legend like Chucky. 'I think it was the most unexpected surprise, but also a thrill, but also nerve-racking at the same time, introducing a new villain into such an empire,' Davis says of initially booking the role, gushing about the impact that production company Blumhouse has had on horror. It had a hand in bringing iconic films like Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Get Out and now M3GAN to life. As the heroine of so much of her songwriting, playing a villain was new for Davis. She says it's 'challenging and uncanny, but at the same time, M3gan is a lot more than a villain.' 'She is very sassy and witty and fun, and just has so much spunk and spite and sass. It's very fun to play her because she has so many levels,' Davis tells Yahoo. As someone with a lot of levels herself — after all, she's a singer, an actress and a social media savant — Davis gets it. She doesn't have M3gan's penchant for violence, of course, but she's known to be lyrically savage.
