Dame Jilly Cooper’s celebrated novel ‘Rivals’ is released as a dramatised TV adaptation on Disney+ on Friday 18 October, depicting the shocking and steamy antics of the social elite of 1980s England. Predominantly filmed in and around Bristol and starring David Tennant, Danny Dyer, Aidan Turner and Emily Atack, the series is already garnering huge momentum, with ‘80s nostalgia at the fore.
With Rivals being predominantly filmed in and around Bristol, we’ve come up with 8 ways to have a 1980s inspired Rivals ‘set-jetting’ weekend in Bristol!
1. Stay at Harbour Hotel Bristol
The historic, opulent boutique hotel, which is 2 converted banks in the Old City part of Bristol, is a key filming location for Rivals. With its subterranean spa, opulent Gold Bar and sumptuous rooms, Harbour Hotel Bristol is the perfect place to stay and live out your Rivals dreams.
2. Visit Concorde at Aerospace Bristol
Step on board the last Concorde to fly and visit Aerospace Bristol where key scenes of Rivals were filmed. Concorde was known as the most extravagant, expensive and advanced form of travel in the ‘80s, but did you know it was part-built in Filton, north Bristol, where it is now housed at the museum? You can also book a private viewing of Concorde at Aerospace Bristol, where you can sit in front row seats, enjoy champagne on board and re-live the ‘80s experience for yourselves, just like its previous passengers Phil Collins and Live Aid band members.
3. Scout filming locations in and around Bristol
As well as lots of filming for Rivals taking place at the renowned Bottle Yard Studios south of the city, Bristol Film Office supported many city centre filming locations which you can scout out. Corn Street in Old City part of Bristol is the backdrop for some glamorous scenes in Rivals, and Queen Square, a beautiful Georgian park, lined with trees and cobbled streets was transformed into a fictional street for the series. Rivals was also part-filmed in nearby Bath (a 12 minute train ride away from Bristol) and The Cotswolds, where the series is set (40 minutes from Bristol by car), which you can visit using Rabbie’s Tours. For some more ‘80s nostalgia, go on a tour of Only Fools and Horses – also filmed predominantly in Bristol – and visit The Granary Club where Del Boy famously fell through the bar!
4. Drink classy cocktails at Cosy Club Bristol
Another Rivals filming location is Cosy Club Bristol on Corn Street. Once a church, then a majestic banking hall, this Grade II listed Neo-Palladian style building with marble flooring, original stonework and domed roof is now a grand bar and restaurant. Just a few steps away from Harbour Hotel Bristol, Cosy Club Bristol is the best spot to sip on your favourite ‘80s inspired tipple from a Champagne or why not a Bloody Mary to the Classic Strawberry Cosmopolitan, or a more modern cocktail like Matcha Margarita.
5. Eat quintessential prawns and steak and chips at Goram and Vincent at The Avon Gorge by Hotel du Vin
Did you know that the 1980’s dining favourite Berni Inns began life in Bristol? Famous for its steak and chips, prawn cocktails, knickerbocker glory and Black Forest gateau, the first Berni Inn opened in 1956 where the Rummer in St Nicholas Market is now. For prawns with Bloody Mary ketchup and a decadent steak and chips in Bristol today, Goram and Vincent at The Avon Gorge Hotel by Hotel du Vin is the place, with stunning views of Clifton Suspension Bridge as a backdrop.
6. Shop for some retro outfits at Sparks Bristol and St Nicholas Market
Take your ‘80s inspired Rivals trip to Bristol to the next level and make sure you look the part with some authentic clothes. Visit St Nicholas Market – the oldest market in Bristol – to find some vintage treasures. Or shop sustainably in Sparks Bristol where you can thrift second hand ‘80s clothes, complete with shellsuits, shoulder pads, sequins and, of course, lycra!
7. Play nostalgic games
Did somebody say ‘Bullseye’? Re-live the ‘80s by playing some classic darts at Flight Club (also on Corn Street), or try some retro arcade games at NQ64 on Baldwin Street or visit History of Video Games on ground floor of The Galleries shopping centre. Venture further north of the city and try your hand at archery or croquet on the lawn of De Vere Tortworth Court, a magnificent Victorian manor hotel on the outskirts of The Cotswolds.
8. Party at one of the city’s venues
With nostalgic Club Tropicana, tribute bands as well as new indie acts, you can party the night away like the hedonistic days of the ‘80s at Bristol’s well-loved music venue, The Fleece. Or see a band at Bristol Beacon – the largest concert hall in the city – where Billie Ocean is set to play next summer and where legendary acts like Gary Numan and Bananarama have graced the stage. Wherever you end up, you’ll be Dancing on the Ceiling…
For more ideas on a city break to Bristol visit www.visitbristol.co.uk and discover the Bristol Rivals filming locations on the blog https://visitbristol.co.uk/blog/post/discover-rivals-filming-locations-in-bristol/
