Dame Jilly Cooper, is an English author. She began her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. Cooper is most famous for writing the Rutshire Chronicles.
The Rutshire Chronicles is a series of romantic novels by Dame Jilly Cooper. The stories tell tales of mainly British upper-class families, as well as the show-jumping and polo crowd, in numerous different sexually charged scenarios, often laced with adultery, illegitimate children, scandal, and sometimes death. They are linked by several recurring characters, chiefly Rupert Campbell-Black, and are set in the fictional English county of Rutshire.
Georgia Elizabeth Tennant is an English actress and producer. She played Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon's daughter Abigail in The Bill, Jenny in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter" and Lady Vivian in the show Merlin.
Victoria Smurfit is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel, Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural Trial & Retribution and Cruella de Vil in Once Upon a Time for which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards in 2016. Most recently she played Maud O’Hara in Rivals on Disney+.
Oliver Graham Chris is an English actor. He has appeared in television series, TV films, and on the stage. His work has included theatrical productions in London's West End and New York City's Broadway.
Katherine Parkinson is an English actress. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy series The IT Crowd as Jen Barber, for which she received a British Comedy Best TV Actress Award in 2009 and 2014, and was nominated twice for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance, winning in 2014.
Alexander Stephen Hassell is an English actor, and co-founder of The Factory Theatre Company. He has played roles on screen in Bonkers (2007), Suburbicon (2017), The Miniaturist (2017), Genius (2018), The Boys (2019), Cowboy Bebop (2021), His Dark Materials (2022), Locked In (2023), and Rivals (2024).
Aidan Turner is an Irish actor. He began his career in the RTÉ medical drama The Clinic (2008–2009) and the BBC series Desperate Romantics (2009). He later gained attention for co-starring as one of the main leads in the popular BBC Three series Being Human (2009–2011), and for playing the dwarf Kíli in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), before starring as the eponymous character in the BBC adaptation of Winston Graham's Poldark (2015–2019).
Riders is a 1985 novel written by the English author Jilly Cooper. It is the first of a series of romance novels known as the Rutshire Chronicles, which are set in the fictional English county of Rutshire. The story focuses on the lives of a group of top show jumping stars and follows the ups and downs of both their personal and professional lives. It was turned into a television film, Riders (1993), directed by Gabrielle Beaumont for Anglia Television and broadcast on the ITV Network.
Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge is an English actress, screenwriter and producer. As the creator, head writer, and lead star of the comedy series Fleabag (2016–2019), she won various accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and a British Academy Television Award. She received further Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for writing and producing the spy thriller series Killing Eve (2018–2022).
Nafessa Williams is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Anissa Pierce in The CW's Black Lightning and Robyn Crawford in the 2022 Whitney Houston biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
Lisa McGrillis is a British actress.
Reacher is an American action crime television series developed by Nick Santora for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child, it stars Alan Ritchson as the title character, a self-proclaimed hobo and former U.S. Army military policeman with formidable strength, intellect, and abilities. During his travels, Reacher crosses paths with dangerous criminals and battles them.
Lara Alexandra Peake is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the Channel 4 series Born to Kill (2017) and the BBC Three series Mood (2022). Her films include How to Have Sex (2023).
Fallout is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the role-playing video game franchise created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the series stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Walton Goggins.
Dead Ringers is an American psychological thriller drama television miniseries developed by Alice Birch. It is based on the 1988 film of the same name by David Cronenberg, itself adapted from the 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 21, 2023. The series won a Peabody Award at the 84th ceremony in June 2024.
Rivals is a television series made for Disney+. It is an adaptation of the 1988 Jilly Cooper novel of the same name. It stars an ensemble cast including David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer. The first series was released on 18 October 2024. The show was recommissioned for a second series in December 2024.
Bella Maclean is a British actress. On television, she appeared in the fourth season of the Netflix series Sex Education (2023) and the Disney+ series Rivals (2024). She is also known for portraying Martha in the 2021 London revival of Spring Awakening.
