Filming locations for Rivals are set in the Cotswolds and largely filmed in Bristol. This is a guide on how to visit Rivals filming locations and follow in the footsteps of Rupert Campbell-Black and Taggie O’Hara.
Tetbury
Tetbury, one of the Cotswolds’ market towns and home to Highgrove, the residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, took on a starring role in the Disney+ hit Rivals as the fictional village of Cotchester. The production crew spent weeks transforming Long Street’s independent shops with 1980s-style frontages, replacing road signs with Cotchester ones and even hanging banners to welcome Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The town’s Georgian church, St Mary’s, doubled as the parish church of Cotchester for a key wedding scene, while the Grade II listed Berkeley House on the Chipping stood in as the home of American TV producer Cameron Cook. Beyond its screen credentials, visitors to Tetbury can expect antique dealers, gastropubs and Woolsack Races each May.
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Chavenage
Chavenage House, a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor just outside Tetbury, has become one of the Cotswolds’ most celebrated screen destinations. The honey-stoned 16th-century property served as The Priory in the hit Disney+ series Rivals, home to TV presenter Declan O’Hara as played by Aidan Turner. Rivals has drawn a new wave of visitors eager to explore its interiors, including fine 17th century tapestries. Group visits can be arranged by reservation.
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Polo Country
The sport is woven through Jilly Cooper’s novels, and the region is one of England’s great heartlands for the game. Cirencester Park Polo Club, set within the Bathurst Estate, is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the country. The Beaufort Polo Club, reportedly a filming location for Series two offers lessons and courses through its polo school for those wanting to give it a try. The Cotswold Polo Academy and Long Dole Polo also offer lessons and discovery days for all levels.
Dressed for Rutshire
Holland Cooper, the luxury British lifestyle label founded by Jade Holland Cooper and rooted in the Cotswolds since its very beginnings has a flagship boutique at Dunkertons Park, just outside Cheltenham, where the brand sits alongside the award-winning Dunkertons Organic Cider taproom, a farm shop and a line-up of street food vendors. Whether you opt for wood-fired pizza, Indian street food or a fresh-baked sourdough from the bakery, there is lunch, paired with a glass of something organic and local.
Berkeley Castle
Head to the historic Berkeley Castle on the south side of the Cotswolds, where the Rutshire Cup polo match was filmed, in episode one of season two of Rivals. Built in 1153, the castle remains the home of the Berkeley family today, over 24 generations later. Once you’ve spotted it in Rivals, go visit the castle from spring to autumn and take a guided tour, stop off at the Kitchen Garden café and gift shop, or visit the LEGO Brick History exhibition until 10 June.
Just 30 miles south of Berkeley Castle, Bristol is the South West’s largest city, known for its historic architecture, green spaces and film industry. Home to The Bottle Yard Studios and recognised as a UNESCO City of Film, Bristol is a key filming location for Rivals, with production taking place at the award-winning TBY2 facility and across the West of England with Film Office support.
Aerospace Bristol
South of Berkeley Castle, is Aerospace Bristol, home to Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last Concorde to fly, which was also part-built in north Bristol. Not only did this Concorde provide the backdrop for a opening scene of season one Rivals, it is also reported to appear in season two. Aerospace Bristol is open year-round to visitors, where you can step on board the Concorde and discover aerospace engineering history up close. Visit once, and your ticket is valid for a whole year.
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Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel
The 150-year-old Grade II listed Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel provides a backdrop to Rivals season two episode one, where characters Declan and Maud O’Hara stay and have welcomed famous guests over the years, from Winston Churchill to Cary Grant, as well as the Rivals cast itself. Following an extensive refurbishment in 2019, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel is close to the harbourside, historic Bristol Cathedral and the Well-Hung Lover mural by Banksy, just opposite.
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Bristol Harbourside
Bristol Harbourside is one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks and also appears in season two of Rivals with Canon’s Wharf as a filming location. Guests can visit the Harbourside and its many attractions such as Brunel’s SS Great Britain, We the Curious, M Shed museum, art centres and galleries such as Spike Island and Arnolfini, Bristol Aquarium, Underfall Yard and Wapping Wharf, a collection of shipping containers housing independent shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. Take a ride on the Bristol Ferry, try a guided tour from Bristol Packet Boat Trips to see the Harbourside from the water itself, or come to one of festivals on the Harbourside this summer including Bristol Sounds, SIREN Bristol and Bristol Craft Beer Festival.
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Bristol Hippodrome and Denmark Street
In Bristol city centre, there is Denmark Street, the Bristol Hippodrome Theatre, which guests can spot in season two of Rivals episodes one and three. Uncover the stories of this street and theatre on the Bristol TV and Film tour bookable via Yuup, which also visits many Rivals filming locations.
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Harbour Hotel Bristol
Many Bristol locations are used in Rivals season one, including Harbour Hotel Bristol, which was where the British Television Awards were filmed. The opulent Sansovino Hall inside this 19th century converted bank provided the backdrop, and you can stay overnight at this boutique hotel for your ultimate Rivals-inspired trip to Bristol. Sip cocktails in The Gold Bar, or enjoy the secret subterranean spa, the old bank’s vaults.
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Cosy Club Bristol
As Rivals is based on the late Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles, the author made her own cameo in season one, appearing alongside writer Lizzie Vereker, played by Katherine Parkinson, in the setting of Cosy Club Bristol. Visit this opulent restaurant for steak and chips, some prawns and a cocktail and see nearby St Nicholas Market and Corn Street which also appear in season one, where the red carpet scenes of the British Television Awards are filmed. Queen Square is a short stroll away, where Freddie Jones (played by Danny Dyer) famously drove a battery-powered Sinclair C5 in season one, too.
After visiting Rivals filming locations, enjoy a vintage styling session at SPARKS. Then play darts and cocktails at Flight Club, dance at Club Tropicana, the UK’s biggest 80s night, at The Fleece, or enjoy a country garden lunch and lawn games at De Vere Tortworth Court. Go on a guided, chauffeur-driven tour of the surrounding areas with Rabbie’s Tours and see the Cotswolds, and other locations such as Corsham in Wiltshire, which also features in Rivals.
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