Celebs in town for Jilly Cooper TV adaptation

A candid shot of Alex Hassell and Aiden Turner talking to each other on set before filming. Both are dressed smartly in suit jackets, with a car boot up in front of them and a shop behind them
Image caption,

Stars Alex Hassell and Aidan Turner were spotted getting out of limos for filming

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A rural town has been having its high street transformed for the filming of series two of Rivals, an adaptation of the late Dame Jilly Cooper's books.

Corsham, Wiltshire, has featured in the Disney series before and has also been used for other productions such as Poldark.

The series is based on the Gloucestershire author's Rutshire Chronicles series and has taken the high street back to the 1980s, tweaking shop fronts and parking classic cars.

The Rivals cast includes David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Alex Hassell, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.

A painted white cotswold stone building with hanging baskets on either side. the bottom floor is a shop front, with Cotchester Convenience Store on it. It has had 'Proud to stock the Rutshire Herald' on the window and outside are baskets of fruit and veg, 1980s sweet machines and a rack with newspapers.
Image caption,

Nicola White's homeware shop has temporarily become a 1980s convenience store

Author Jilly Cooper died aged 88 earlier this month, after a fall.

Local business owner Nicola White - who runs a homeware store called Previous - has seen her shop transformed into Cotchester Convenience Store.

She has seen celebrities turning up in limos - namely Aidan Turner and Alex Hassell - and explained she has known it would be happening for a few weeks, but business owners keep quiet because "we're sort of used to it".

A set of 1980s sweet machines on the left, offering the sweets for coins. Centre, a rack with copies of the fake newspaper and to the right, loaves of bread can be seen through a shop window
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The set dressing has seen lots of attention to detail - including copies of the fictitious Rutshire Herald

Details added to her shop front include fruit, veg, sweet machines and the fictitious Rutshire Herald newspaper.

She said: "It was fascinating to see them doing it. Certainly the packaging we don't have anymore.

"Corsham is a very beautiful place, but it's a little bit unknown, anything that gets people to realise what a beautiful place it is I think can only be a good thing really."

A three floor Georgian-style bath stone building, with grand entrance with columns. The pub name on the front reads 'Bar Sinister' and there is a traditional hanging pub sign too
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Bar Sinister is usually known as The Royal Oak

Other changes include one of the pubs changing from the Royal Oak to Bar Sinister and the vets is temporarily a dental practice.

Becky Thomas was among a group of fans who went along to see what was going on.

She said: "I love it. I've watched the whole first series. It's my birthday today and it's made my day. I live in Corsham, so it's brilliant."

Denise Pape is not a viewer, but was also interested: "I think it's exciting. It's buzzy. was wondering what was going on."

An old estate car is parked in front of traditional-looking white painted cotswold stone building, which has a shop front. The sign on it reads Rutshire Dental. A member of the crew is on a ladder to the side, disguising a signpost
Image caption,

The Hale Vets has become a dental surgery

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