The north coast of Devon features on screen for the second series of Disney’s hit drama, starring David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Nafessa Williams
Blackpool Mill Cottage, on the Hartland Abbey Estate, was used as the coastal retreat for lead character Rupert Campbell-Black, with the production also making use of the dramatic clifftops along the nearby coastline for that epic helicopter and motorbike shot in episode 1 of series 2.
Joel Holmes, Rivals Location Manager: “We were delighted to use Blackpool Mill Cottage on the Hartland Abbey Estate in Devon as Rupert Campbell-Black’s coastal retreat, as well as the stunning clifftops of the coastline nearby.
As with any remote setting, the shoot wasn’t without its challenges, but we were very grateful for the assistance provided by local agencies and organisations and thoroughly enjoyed our short time in the region.”
It’s not the first time the area has caught the eye of major productions. The cottage featured in John le Carré’s The Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston.
More recently, the wider Hartland Abbey Estate became the on-screen home of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers for CBBC, with the house and grounds doubling as the famous boarding school across multiple series, including the most recent final series.
Rivals also filmed across the England, including at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios, and areas around the city, along with Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
Rivals is Disney’s glossy adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s bestselling novel, set against the glamour and scandal of 1980s Cotswolds high society. The award-winning series follows a fierce rivalry playing out in the world of regional television, with power, ambition and tangled love lives colliding at every turn.
The first part of Rivals Series 2 is available to stream now, with the second half of the series due to arrive in November.
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