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The protagonists Alex Hassell and Nafessa Williams, during the filming in Calle San Agustín, Malaga. Marilú Báez
Disney+ premieres British series with scenes filmed in Malaga and on the Costa del Sol
Entertainment

Disney+ premieres British series with scenes filmed in Malaga and on the Costa del Sol

Rivals is a TV adaption of the famous Jilly Cooper novel of the same name and stars David Tennant

Francisco Griñán

Malaga

Friday, 25 October 2024, 16:50

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The new Disney+ series Rivals, a critique of the world of television based on British TV programmes of the 1980s, was filmed in Malaga. The storyline is based on the attraction of the Costa del Sol for Brits at the time. However, the paradox is that neither Torremolinos nor Marbella are portrayed, but the action takes place in Malaga city at a time when tourists didn't step foot in the provincial capital.

The main character is played by Alex Hassell (the superhero Translucent in The Boys), who plays an old Olympic medalist-turned politician, and David Tennant (Doctor Who and Good Omens). He plays the wickedly sharp villain of the show as a lord and private channel owner, whose main concern is to keep his network's licence while bringing down his old sporting nemesis.

The signing of a star BBC journalist by the TV channel Corinium to give him full control of his talk show is the starting point of this series with a catchy retro soundtrack.

Full of sex, alcohol and ambition, Rivals is a TV adaption of the second book in Jilly Cooper's 'Rutshire Chronicles' novels, which portrays the power and excesses of the economic elite of England in the 1980s.

Produced by ITV Studios and Happy Prince for Disney+, the filming in Malaga was carried out with the assistance Fresco Film, which was also behind the filming of Kaos and The Warrior Nun.

Alex Hassell and the American actress Nafessa Williams (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody and Black Lightning) are seen on the screen in well-known settings such as Calle San Agustín, Plaza del Obispo with the Cathedral in the background and the Roman theatre, streets dotted with posters of bullfights from 1987, street stalls, nuns eating ice cream and pencil skirts.

The protagonists have time to stay in the "best hotel in Malaga", which was actually filmed in the luxurious Hotel Las Dunas in Estepona. They also take a drive through the mountains and attend a luxury dinner at the Casa de Bates in Motril, which serves as the grand Malaga estate of the British ambassador to Spain.

Seventh release of the year

The premiere of Rivals is the seventh title to be added to the platforms' line-up so far this year. Disney+ launched the blockbuster We Were The Lucky Ones in June this year. It is set during World War II, with battle scenes filmed at El Torcal. In the same month the miniseries Archie arrived on Filmin, based on the life of Cary Grant and with Hollywood recreated in the settings of the province, and Netflix released Kaos with Jeff Goldblum at the end of August, although just three weeks later it cancelled the series without reaching its second season. All three involved the Malaga-based production company Fresco Film, which last summer was acquired by Mediapro.

To these foreign titles must be added other national premieres set in Malaga that have been closely linked to luxury and corruption on the Costa del Sol, such as Marbella (Movistar) , which exposes the establishment of the mocro maffia, Clanes (Netflix) , with the southern ramifications of drug trafficking in Galicia, and Eva y Nicole (Atresmedia), the portrait of the jet set inspired by one of the great characters of the Golden Mile, Olivia Valere and her famous nightclub.

There is also La Chica de Nieve 2, the second season of the hugely successful Snow Girl trilogy, starring journalist Miren Rojo (Milena Smit), which is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Malaga writer Javier Castillo. It is expected to be released by Netflix in early 2025.

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