Set in the dog-eat-dog world of 1980s independent television, glossy drama Rivals (now showing on Hulu in the US and on Disney Plus in the UK) is dripping with ambition, feuds and obnoxious characters.
But standing out from the crowd of self-serving elites, such as Lord Tony Baddingham (played by Doctor Who star David Tennant) and local lothario Rupert Campbell-Black (The Boys’ Alex Hassell), is sweet-natured, self-made electronics magnate Freddie Jones (ex-EastEnders star Danny Dyer), who finds himself adrift in Rutshire’s snobbish society.
Here, What To Watch joins Danny to talk about playing a ‘likeable' rogue in the eight-part romp adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel…
How did your involvement in Rivals come about, Danny?
"I was in a privileged position because I was offered the part, and it was a no-brainer. I mean, Jilly Cooper? I knew it would be brilliant. Also, I’ve not had many opportunities to play a role where I look very different and I think this will change a few people’s perceptions of me."
How does Freddie Jones fit into this world?
"There are a lot of vulgar characters, but Freddie is one of the likeable ones. He’s a working-class fella who’s found himself within this elite world, and while his wife Valerie [played by Lisa McGrillis] loves it, he doesn’t fit in. But then he meets romance novelist Lizzie Vereker [Katherine Parkinson] and they become fascinated with each other."
How involved was Jilly Cooper as an executive-producer?
"She made a beeline for me at the read-through. She loves Freddie, so I think she had to approve of me, and her way of doing that was giving me a cuddle and telling me how handsome I was. She was on set with her little notebook, too, but she let us get on with it."
Reliving the trends, styles and music of the 1980s must have been fun?
"We had a ball shooting in big manor houses, all dressed up in ’80s clobber. It’s a decade like no other, especially with the look, and I think we’ve pulled it right out of the bag. But there’s a great scene where Freddie brings out a karaoke machine and I had to belt out Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell in front of everyone. This was quite early in this process, by the way, but it's a good way of indoctrinating yourself within the cast. It was heartful, the whole thing."
The outfits are fabulously nostalgic, but the men's moustaches deserve their own spin-off show!
"Indeed! I broke the news to my kids that I had to grow a moustache and they cried. Mine got really bushy, too, so I had a little brush and some oil. It was a bit much, but I grew to love that ’tache!"
All eight episodes of Rivals are available now on Hulu in the US and on Disney Plus in the UK.
