Rivals writer Jilly Cooper hailed as 'David Attenborough of sex'
Rivals executive producer Dominic Treadwell Collins has compared the book's author Jilly Cooper to the 100-year-old natural historian.
Rivals boss Dominic Treadwell Collins has hailed Jilly Cooper as the "David Attenborough of sex".
The executive producer behind the hit Disney+ series has compared the late author behind the 1988 romance novel - which has been adapted for the raunchy period comedy-drama - to the 100-year-old broadcaster, who has spent his life exploring the natural world.
Dominic told The Sun newspaper: “Jilly studied humans and she studied sex. She was like the David Attenborough of sex.
"She really understood humans and that’s why it’s such a big part of her books and of the show."
Cooper died aged 88 in October 2025, one year after the first season of Rivals was released.
Dominic promised season two, which is now available on the streamer, is "even stronger" than the first run with "a swagger to it".
He added: "I think the show is summed up by the theme tune, a duelling operatic duet between a man and a woman reaching orgasm.
“I think that’s the team. We’re all working together, looking at every frame in the edit and remembering this is a show about female pleasure.
“So much television lingers over women’s bodies and we said, as a show, we’ll linger over men’s bodies!”
However, Dominic insisted the show never wants to go too far, and so despite Danny Dyer insisting he filmed a full frontal scene for the second season, viewers won't actually see everything with it airs.
He quipped: “Let’s just say there’s a lot of strategically placed bubbles from a bubble bath! So it’s not… full Danny!
“We’ve been really cautious about not being gratuitous. All the way through there’s a line with the show where you could be watching it and feel a bit uncomfortable. A bit like you are intruding.
“The whole point is you are with our characters. You are in the bedroom with them. We’re very careful in the edit, if suddenly the scene goes too far or gets too explicit, we pull back.”
Danny had recently joked no one "wants to see" the full fontal scene, which sees several character strip off and frolick.
He told Digital Spy: "Well, I committed. Whether they'll keep it in or not, I don't know.
"There’s a bit of running as well, and I don't think anyone wants to see that sort of running."
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+.
