{"id":961933,"date":"2026-05-15T16:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/961933\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T16:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:47:22","slug":"rivals-star-fell-in-love-with-bristol-while-filming-season-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/961933\/","title":{"rendered":"Rivals star \u2018fell in love with Bristol\u2019 while filming Season 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Disney+ hit series Rivals was mostly filmed in Bristol and surrounding areas<\/p>\n<p>17:20, 15 May 2026Updated 17:21, 15 May 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Rivals season two stars Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer as Lizzie and Freddie. \" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_RIVALS2_ValentinesExclusive_Disney.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Rivals star has 'fallen in love with Bristol'\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Rivals star has &#8216;fallen in love with Bristol'(Image: DISNEY PLUS)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Rivals star Katherine Parkinson has revealed that she has \u201ccompletely fallen in love with Bristol\u201d while<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bristolpost.co.uk\/news\/celebs-tv\/inside-rivals-season-2-filming-10963971\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> filming Season 2 <\/a>of the hit Disney+ series,<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bristolpost.co.uk\/all-about\/bafta-tv-awards\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Bafta award <\/a>winning actress, 48, has made a return to our TV screens as she reprised her role as romance author Lizzie Vereker, who was one of the beloved favourites of the first season when she developed an attraction to self-made businessman Freddie Jones and their steamy on-screen affair caused quite a stir.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The series, based on the 1988 novel of the same name by the late, great <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bristolpost.co.uk\/news\/celebs-tv\/bbc-one-show-airs-heartwarming-10966881\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Dame Jilly Cooper<\/a>, follows an MP going head-to-head with a TV station owner in the fictional Cotswolds county of Rutshire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It has become<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bristolpost.co.uk\/news\/celebs-tv\/danny-dyer-goes-nude-raunchy-10963455\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> renowned for its frequent, racy sex scenes<\/a> featuring many of the diverse cast of characters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The show was filmed at the studios, which are owned by the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bristolpost.co.uk\/all-about\/bristol-city-council\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Bristol City Council<\/a>, with many of the locations featured in the series within a 30-mile radius around Bristol.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Katherine shared her love for the city\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/771_RIVALS2_Ep03_RV_160525.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Katherine shared her love for the city\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Katherine shared her love for the city(Image: Robert Viglasky Photography)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Just hours before the series dropped, Katherine was joined by her co-star Annabel Scholey, who plays the ruthless journalist Beattie Johnson for a preview screening in Bristol, where most of the show was filmed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The screening celebrated the role the region had played in creating the popular series and as a champion for moving film-making outside London\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Speaking to Bristol Live on the red carpet, Katherine shared her love for the city as she said: \u201cI have completely fallen in love with Bristol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She continued: \u201cI mean, I do know it quite well because a lot of my family live down in the West Country, my mum&#8217;s family are from the West Country but Bristol specifically I\u2019ve really got to know filming Rivals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sharing the reasons why she loved the city, the actress said: \u201cI love it. I love everything about it, I love the mood of it, I love the architecture, I love what\u2019s nearby, I love the clothes shops, I love the coffee shops.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lizzie developed an attraction to self-made businessman Freddie Jones and their steamy on-screen affair caused quite a stir\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2913_RIVALS2_Ep01_RV_100625.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Lizzie developed an attraction to self-made businessman Freddie Jones and their steamy on-screen affair caused quite a stir\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Lizzie developed an attraction to self-made businessman Freddie Jones and their steamy on-screen affair caused quite a stir(Image: Robert Viglasky Photography)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cI love seeing the young happy people going around &#8211; the students, the undergraduates, all look so sort of sane and not like they\u2019re getting drunk constantly like we did in our student years so I completely love Bristol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Co-star Annabel Scholey, who lives in Wiltshire, admitted that it was nice to be able to work so close to home. She explained: \u201cI live not far from Bristol, I live in the South West. I moved here a while ago &#8211; about four years ago and I love it, I love it so much. It was really nice for me to go and work at home and travel back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She continued: \u201cI love it, I think it is a really exciting place to work, there is so much filming happening here and all the different landscapes in Bristol that you can use. You can be in a period drama for one minute and have a water chase and action show, it\u2019s just so diverse and I think that\u2019s what makes it a really exciting place to be. It\u2019s really nice, it\u2019s really good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Annabel admitted that it was nice to be able to work so close to home\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2624_RIVALS2_Ep01_RV_100625-2.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Annabel admitted that it was nice to be able to work so close to home\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Annabel admitted that it was nice to be able to work so close to home(Image: Robert Viglasky Photography)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Disney+ teased fans with a partial drop of episodes 1 to 3 of the new series today (May 15). The official synopsis for Season 2 reads: &#8220;The battle for the Central South West television franchise reaches a fever pitch as the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham is determined to dismantle his rivals piece-by-piece, weaponising scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It continues: &#8220;Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Rivals season 2 episodes 1-3 will be available to stream on Friday 15 May on Disney+.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Disney+ hit series Rivals was mostly filmed in Bristol and surrounding areas 17:20, 15 May 2026Updated 17:21,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":961934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,748,393,4884,378,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-961933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-in-the-news","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116579614925899597","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=961933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/961934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=961933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=961933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=961933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}