The cast members of Rivals have been opening up about shooting one of season two’s most mortifying scenes.
Earlier this week, the Jilly Cooper adaptation returned to Disney+ with three brand new episodes, one of which centred around an action-packed Bonfire Night party.
And while there were plenty of fireworks thanks to the drama among the regular cast, one part of the party proved to be explosive in an entirely different way.
Yes, Lisa McGrillis’ character Valerie Jones had an unpleasant jolt at the Bonfire Night bash when she discovered her daughter had laced her drink with laxatives.
Robert Viglasky Photography
Adding to the chaos even more was the fact that in her moment of need, Mousie chose to rely on Lizzie Vereker, played by Katherine Parkinson, without realising that she is having an affair with her husband.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Katherine admitted that the scene was a hoot to film, helped by Lisa providing her own sound effects throughout.
“I loved filming [that scene] with Lisa because on every take, she made the flatulent noises for me to react to,” Katherine recalled.
The Bafta winner continued: “I did really appreciate it. It was so generous of her.
“I don’t feel all actresses would have done that – it really, really made me laugh.”
Lisa, felt slightly differently about the shoot, admitting that having the crew with her “when I was on the toilet” made for a somewhat “awkward” experience.
The latter half of Rivals’ second season sees the affair between Lizzie and Danny Dyer’s Freddie escalating, including a nude scene for the former EastEnders star.
He claimed earlier this month: “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.
“It gets a bit farcical in the end, and they had to put the bubbles in a good place,” he joked.
“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.”
Rivals continues on Wednesday 18 November.
