Rivals stars on how show tackles prejudice and racism: "It feels very authentic and true"

It's a fact of the times that the Jilly Cooper adaptation series doesn't "gloss over", according to series star Aidan Turner, and it's something that makes both him and Nafessa Williams proud to be a part of the show.

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the way the series does confront themes of prejudice, racism and sexism, Turner – who plays the role of starry TV presenter Declan O'Hara – said: "I think what really good TV does is it holds a mirror up, doesn’t it?

"The way we used to do things and the way we do things now, what should we bring with us and what should we leave behind."

Turner continued: "I think with this 21st-century lens that we use to peek back into circa 1986, we see that. I don’t think we gloss over it, I don’t think we change the way that the tone or the cadence used to be in these rooms, in these offices or these relationships.

"But it feels very authentic and true.

"I think we can very quickly tell from watching the show that it’s not that long ago that this kind of behaviour was accepted, and it does feel quite glaring, and quite, 'Wow, how and why did we ever get away with that?'

"So yeah, I think it’s presented a lot in our show – those kind of moments where you’re like, 'That doesn’t exist anymore, thankfully.'"

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Williams, who plays Cirinium producer Cameron Cook, said: "Right, and I’m also too... when I choose characters in TV shows or films, it’s like, who’s sparking the conversation for change?

"And to, again, see where we were in the '80s and what absolutely would not be OK today and see how far we’ve come, too, and also see the changes that need to be made. But we definitely highlight and mirror a lot of that.

"To me, it was really important – even for Cameron to be a Black woman, to be chosen to be a Black woman in this time. We didn’t have that in the '80s, a Black woman, actually – or a woman, really – just running a company? That’s very powerful and a bold choice made on Disney’s part and the writers.

"I thought it was really, really brilliant to show what that looked like, and I’m proud of that."

The new series sees the fight for Rutshire's independent television well and truly get under way, and it is, of course, based on the famed 1988 Jilly Cooper novel of the same name.

The show's official synopsis teases that the show is packed "full of romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit".

It continues: "Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986."

As well as Turner and Williams, the star-studded cast of Rivals also includes David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer, each of whom can currently be found on special edition alternate covers of Radio Times.

Rivals will be released on Disney Plus on 18th October 2024. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.

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