There are a lot of reasons to fall in love withRivals.
Yes, theres a lot of sex, and an astonishing amount of nuditynaked tennis, anyone?
But the sheer horniness of it all is not what has got me gripped, so to speak.
Alex Hassell as rakish Rupert Campbell-Black inRivals
Nor is it even really about the fabulous (and highly flammable) costumes.
Its about nostalgia for a dating landscape that I am notand never will bea part of.
Dont get me wrong: Rutshire is hardly a place of resounding romantic success.
Photo: Sanne Gault
Everyone is cheating on everyone, or wishing that they were.
the 40-year-old man her mother fancies and her dad is mates with.
And yet, things still seemed an awful lot simpler back then.
Photo: Robert Viglasky
So people went out.
To lavish three-course dinners.
To decadent summer garden parties.
To all-night bashes held in countryside manors.
And, because this is Jilly Cooper, to illustrious shooting weekends.
I cant remember the last time I or any of my friends got hit on in real life.
And no, Im not currently dating him.
Look, I know thatdating appscan work; I have many friends whove married partners they met on them.
Chemistry can only truly start to bubble up when youre face-to-face with someone.
With Freddies gruff, argy-bargy disposition and Lizzies quiet domestic complacence, theyre an odd pairing.
Not least because theyre both married.
Slowly but surely, they begin to harbor a gentle affection for one another.
Put simply, its a joy to watch.
Have you got any idea how fucking beautiful you are?
he says to her in one unsuspecting moment.
But it takes time for her to warm to the idea of taking things further with Freddie.
And, well, maybe weve all just become a little bit lazier.
Perhaps the onus is on us to put ourselves out there more.
Ill see you on the tennis court.
