Rivals filming puts West towns firmly in the spotlight

Businesses in filming locations used for the second season of Rivals say the Disney+ drama has put them "on the map".

The series, based on one of Dame Jilly Cooper's so-called "bonkbusters", features an all-star cast including Aidan Turner, David Tennant and Danny Dyer.

Filming for series two took place across Bristol, Corsham in Wiltshire and Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, with locations across the West of England standing in for the Cotswolds and London.

Jeweller Daisy Coppin, who runs a shop in Corsham, said it was "very exciting" and "great for the town".

Members of the cast were spotted filming at several locations across the south west, including Bristol city centre.

The Cosy Club and the Harbour Hotel on Corn Street were both used during production, doubling as a London hotel. Actor Emily Atack shared images from Bristol on Instagram while filming.

David Tennant and Claire Rushbrook were seen filming scenes on the high-street of Corsham, in Wiltshire, which saw the Town Hall transformed into a polling station for the show.

Sharon Jefferys from Corsham Town Council, said the crew "love coming to Corsham".

"We've had a definite upturn in footfall," she said.

"People want to see where it was filmed because it's so popular."

During filming, the town was filled with crew dressed in 1980s fashion and Coppins Jewellers was temporarily turned into the fictional Cotchester Jewellers.

Coppin said it was "very exciting" to see David Tennant while filming was under way.

Since the production wrapped, she said the impact had continued.

"There have been more tourists that visit now than ever before," she said.

Polo and lunch scenes were filmed in the grounds of Berkeley Castle.

Charles Berkeley, custodian of the castle, said it was "rather fantastic" to have the crew and cast on site.

"It's not every day you have a film crew around and it's very exciting," he added.

He said he was quite surprised by the scale of the show's production.

"It's like a small filming village that comes to the castle and recreates a scene."

Berkeley said the castle needed repairs and the money raised from hosting the hit TV show allowed the "wonderful castle" and the people who work there to keep going.

"I'm very proud that we were able to have filming at such a wonderful building," he added.

Irish actor Aidan Turner returns as Declan O'Hara, alongside David Tennant as the formidable Tony Baddingham.

Danny Dyer, Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson and Emily Atack are among the rest of the returning cast.

New for series two, Rupert Everett plays character Rupert Campbell-Black's showjumping coach, with Hayley Atwell playing his wife.

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