Rivals season two's second half is hailed 'a glorious return of the bonkbuster' with 'oodles of sex' and 'posho rumpy-pumpy'

The second half of Rivals' season two has been branded a 'a glorious return of the bonkbuster' with 'oodles of sex' and 'posho rumpy-pumpy'.Critics have lauded the return of the show - based on the 1988 book of the late author Jilly Cooper - which hits Disney+ on Wednesday with a three-episode drop followed by weekly releases for the remaining three.Since hitting screens in 2024, the show's main talking point has been the saucy scenes, with the new season seeing Danny Dyer's character Freddie Jones going nude during a romp with Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson).The Times' Carol Midgley lauded the show with a thrilling five stars and told viewers to 'close the curtains, pour a glass of fizz and celebrate a welcome return' and reflected that 'the constant in the series is that it doesn’t take life too seriously'. The Independent's Nick Hilton gave three stars while stating: 'All of that is well and good. Rivals is a high-class soap opera, with slightly racier sex scenes'.Heavy emphasis was played on hardman Danny's nude scene - with The Telegraph's Anita Singh writing: 'If you’ve ever wanted to know what Danny Dyer looks like in the buff, well, this is the show for you.' The second half of Rivals' season two has been branded a 'a glorious return of the bonkbuster' with 'oodles of sex' and 'posho rumpy-pumpy' Since hitting screens in 2024, the show's main talking point has been the saucy scenes, with the new season seeing Danny Dyer's character Freddie Jones going nude during a romp with Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson)Hello! Magazine's Emmy Griffiths joined The Independent in giving a three star review while reflecting on the transition from playful into the morose. She writes: 'While all shows, of course, need their moments of darkness, it feels as though Rivals' once-brilliant spark has been somewhat dulled. That is not to say that the show doesn't still have its moments of brilliance.'Collider's Therese Lacson mused: 'Despite some issues with pacing — which can be almost entirely blamed on the bizarre split-season release — Rivals Season 2 proves it can not only embrace the glitz and glamor of Cooper's world, but also forge its own path and create something new.' The saucy storylines are set to send temperatures rising. The love affair between Freddie and Lizzie ramps up following the death of their mutual friend Monica (Claire Rushbrook) as they realise life is too short but Freddie's sex life with his wife is also reignited in the wake of the tragedy.The widely-discussed upcoming scene shows Freddie having a near miss as he's forced to make a naked escape after a passionate bath escapade with Lizzie.Asked about his 'naked flit out' the actor, 49, admitted the scene was 'farcical' to film.'The hardest bit is laying in a bath all day and going wrinkly, do you know what I mean? It wasn't the biggest bath in the world but I thought it was quite cute,' he explained. The second half of series two sees his character Freddie still balancing his affair with Lizzie Vereker (Parkinson) with his marriage to Valerie (Lisa McGrillis) THE RATINGS: Rivals Season Two, Part Two The TimesRating:Obviously, there is oodles of sex. Private jet sex, snooker table sex, rampant toga party sex, and the “walking Barbour jacket” Lady Hampshire having posho rumpy-pumpy with her husband, literally while singing Jerusalem. Independent Rating:All of that is well and good. Rivals nis a high-class soap opera, with slightly racier sex scenes. At times, keeping your eye on the myriad adulteries is like watching a magician manipulate a ball between a set of cups.The decision to split this second series in two was a bizarre one, surely motivated by the streamer’s financial model. With six episodes in each half, and six months between them, they feel materially separate. But even if the Walt Disney Company is engaging in shenanigans to maintain high subscription levels, Rivals is still an accomplished, jolly romp through the Sloane Ranger culture of the 1980s. That said, the show needs to remember that the more compromised its characters are, the more fun its audience is having. The Telegraph Rating:Even the most solemn occasion becomes an excuse for bad behaviour in Jilly Cooper’s gloriously outrageous bonkbuster.There are sex scenes aplenty, and if you’ve ever wanted to know what Danny Dyer looks like in the buff, well, this is the show for you. Even the funeral of Monica Baddingham in episode seven has an aphrodisiac quality, judging by what some of the mourners get up to after sneaking away from the wakeDigital Spy Rating:The decision to split this second series in two was a bizarre one, surely motivated by the streamer’s financial model. With six episodes in each half, and six months between them, they feel materially separate.But even if the Walt Disney Company is engaging in shenanigans to maintain high subscription levels, Rivals is still an accomplished, jolly romp through the Sloane Ranger culture of the 1980s. That said, the show needs to remember that the more compromised its characters are, the more fun its audience is having.Hello! Rating:I hope the show will be restored to its good old-fashioned '80s fun soon enough – after all, any old show can do doom and gloom, but Rivals had something special. It just needs to find it again. ColliderThe show already feels like it is buckling under the weight of its characters, and each episode feels jam-packed. One major reveal that goes completely off-book in Episode 10 will likely blindside viewers, but it never feels properly foreshadowed. Whatmust contend with in Season 3 is a challenge it has yet to face: how can the show evolve beyond a single book, and can it pare down its cast to make room for new faces? 'It gets a bit farcical in the end, and they had to put the bubbles in a good place, but they didn't show the bit when I climb out the window, thank you Lord above!''I don't think anybody wants to see a 50-year-old man swinging his old arse out of a window. But, yeah, we both had hands of 110-year-olds when we got out the bath, so not the most attractive.'Danny also heaped praise on his female co-stars who he loves sharing the screen with.'I love working with Katherine [Parkinson], she is f**king amazing, and I love Lisa [McGrillis] as well. I've said this before but I'm very grateful to be in Rivals and very lucky to be surrounded by the best of the best actors – and that's across the board.' The love affair between Freddie and Lizzie ramps up following the death of their mutual friend Monica (Claire Rushbrook) as they realise life is too short In a season two episode which aired earlier this year Danny bared all after vowing to show solidarity with his female co-stars who have stripped off in the racy drama.Episode four saw Danny and Katherine strip nude to film a sex scene in a swimming pool, with Danny previously joking he was worried how he would look on screen because it was 'cold' during filming.Speaking to the Radio Times ahead of transmission he joked about baring all, saying: 'I go full frontal in this series, if they keep it in the edit. It's a night shoot, and it was cold, and I'd better not say any more.'However, he revealed he felt it was important that he too bare all when his female co-stars have famously gone topless on the show.