The second series of Rivals has finally landed on Disney+ and the very first episode includes a special tribute to the late Dame Jilly Cooper.
Season 2 of Rivals has landed on Disney+ with episode 1 featuring a heartfelt tribute to the late Dame Jilly Cooper.
At the close of episode 1, a black and white title card appears on screen alongside a photograph of a young Dame Jilly, pictured reclining on a sofa in a striking black dress and fishnet tights. The tribute simply reads: “Dame Jilly Cooper, 1937-2025.”
Rivals executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins previously spoke to The Mirror and other publications during a Q&A screening about how Dame Jilly’s death during the production of season 2 had deeply affected the cast and crew.
“She’s up there today and we all keep saying that she got to see Rivals 1, got to see Rivals 2, and got to see a whole lot of new fans of her books,” he said. “And you don’t often get to do that, so this series is a tribute to her.”
Who was Dame Jilly Cooper?
Dame Jilly was the beloved bestselling author whose book series inspired Rivals, reports Somerset Live.
The national treasure tragically died from a head injury sustained in a fall at her home, aged 88, on October 5, 2025.
She launched her career in journalism, contributing to The Sunday Times and The Mail on Sunday before releasing her debut book, How to Stay Married, in 1969.
She is perhaps best remembered for her hugely popular series, The Rutshire Chronicles, which includes the novels Riders, Rivals, and Polo.
She was honoured with the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours. The Jilly Cooper Prize was also established in 2025 as part of the Comedy Women in Print Awards to honour her contribution to comic fiction.
During the Q&A, Dominic spoke about the beloved author: “Her death was a shock, which is a funny thing to say about someone in their 80s, but we were talking to her on the Thursday before she died at the weekend suddenly. And we keep talking about this series as a tribute to her.
“Her fingerprints are all over it. She gave notes on the Thursday on episode 12 to me, and told me off for a sex scene I’d written.
“She said, ‘Dominic! You’re so naughty, Dom!’ I said, ‘Jilly, you wrote it all, I took it verbatim.’ And then she said, ‘I’m naughty then, aren’t I?!'”
He went on to say: “She was incredible and our amazing friend who came to set and was there all the time, and was so clever and so wonderful.”
The first three episodes of Rivals season 2 are now available to watch on Disney+, with additional episodes dropping weekly.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
