A new Disney+ series is set to be filmed in a high-end studio opening in Bristol this week. The studio called TBY2 is The Bottle Yard's second studio in Bristol, a premium facility owned and run by Bristol City Council.
The first booking for the new facility will be for an eight-part saga called Rivals, based on the bestselling novel by Jilly Cooper, produced for Disney+ by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. It is part of the author’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles focusing on the affluent elite of 1980s England. The UK original series will premiere on Disney+ in EMEA and Asia Pacific and Star+ in Latin America.
Rivals is set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire focusing on a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men that is about to boil over. Ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and womaniser Rupert Campbell-Black, and his Rutshire neighbour Tony Baddingham, controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television.
Read more: Bristol film and TV shows including The Outlaws generate millions of pounds for city
This new series will see tensions and rivalries entangle between the characters. There are spilled secrets, forged alliances, and snatched liaisons that draw wives, lovers, colleagues, friends, and families into their battle.
The lead director is BAFTA-nominated Elliot Hegarty (of Ted Lasso, Cheaters and Trying fame), who also serves as executive producer on the first three episodes. Eliza Mellor (The Midwich Cuckoos, Behind Her Eyes, Poldark) serves as Series Producer. The series is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “The Bottle Yard Studios, our Hollywood in Hengrove, continues to go from strength-to-strength. Filming in Bristol is booming – testament to Channel 4’s decision to relocate to our city in 2018. This year, the sector contributed almost £21 million to our economy.
"New productions by Disney+ and other major streamers and commissioners will only bolster our global growth. Shows like The Outlaws have looked and sounded like Bristol and TBY2 will help us punch above our weight in film and TV."
The expansion is part of a new investment into film and television in Bristol. In September, Bristol Film Office revealed that film and television production has generated £20.8m for the local economy in the 2021-2022 financial year, up 22 per cent on pre-pandemic figures.
Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England, said: “I’ve watched this expansion come alive, from a cold and empty space to the fully functioning facility we see today. I’m incredibly proud that this is down to £12 million of investment from the West of England Combined Authority I lead."
It means the studio company will be able to accommodate larger scale productions, increasing the total number of stages across both stages from eight to eleven. The council predicts more than 860 jobs will be created over the next 10 years through the expansion,
The Bottle Yard Studios is the largest dedicated film and television production facility in the West of England. Upcoming titles filmed there include Paramount+ romantic comedy The Flatshare (begins 1 Dec), series two of children’s drama Dodger (CBBC) and new BBC One/HBO drama Rain Dogs.
More recent credits include The Outlaws, Am I Being Unreasonable?, The Last Bus, Chloe, Showtrial and The Girl Before.
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