Cranmore's East Somerset Railway recently welcomed the ITV production company, Happy Prince, who were filming scenes for the forthcoming Disney+ series, an adaptation of the 1988 novel Rivals.

During filming, the station was transformed into a bustling 1980s commuter hub, complete with big hair, sharp suits, and brick cell phones.

Filming underway at East Somerset Railway

Set in Rutshire, Rivals will showcase an ensemble cast including David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Lisa McGrillis, Alex Hassell, Emily Atack, and Danny Dyer.

The eight-part saga is based heavily on Jilly Cooper's bestselling book Rivals and is set in the ruthless, excessive world of independent television in 1986, where the shoulder pads are big and ambitions even bigger. In the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and notorious womaniser Rupert Campbell-Black, and his Rutshire neighbour Tony Baddingham, controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television. As tensions rise and rivalries deepen, there are spilled secrets, forged alliances, and snatched liaisons that draw wives, lovers, colleagues, friends, and families into their battle.

Caught in the crossfire is TV presenter Declan O'Hara, played by Aidan Turner ('Poldark', 'The Suspect'). Fiercely intellectual, with an even fiercer temper, he is wooed to Corinium TV from the BBC by Baddingham himself, but feels he's been swindled when Tony refuses to deliver on his promises. Furious with Tony, Declan vows to get his revenge.

Victoria Smurfit ('Bloodlands', 'Once Upon A Time') plays Maud O'Hara, a former actress and Declan's bohemian, fickle wife. Bella Maclean ('Spring Awakening', 'Sex Education') plays Declan and Maud's tender-hearted yet strong-willed elder daughter, Taggie. She holds the O'Hara family together and keeps an eye on her younger and wilder sister Caitlin, played by Catriona Chandler ('Pistol', 'Enola Holmes 2'). Nafessa Williams ('Black Lighting', 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody') plays Cameron Cook, a ferociously talented American TV executive who is brought to Corinium by Tony to produce Declan's new prime-time talk show. She soon finds herself caught between the two powerful men who deeply underestimate her - at their peril. Katherine Parkinson ('Humans', 'Here We Go') stars as Lizzie Vereker, a romantic novelist consistently overlooked by her preening and self-centred TV presenter husband, James Vereker, played by Oliver Chris ('The Crown', 'Trying').

Danny Dyer ('EastEnders, 'The Football Factory') stars as Freddie Jones: honourable, loyal and lovable, he's a self-made electronics millionaire. Freddie's got the money, but finds himself, along with his social-climbing wife Valerie (played by Lisa McGrillis 'Maternal', 'Mum'), an outsider to Rutshire's cliques. But when Rupert and Tony come to him with a business proposition, all that could change.

Claire Rushbrook ('Sherwood', 'Ali and Ava') plays Lady Monica Baddingham, Tony's dependable, upper-crust wife who has absolutely no interest in the dramatic goings-on within her husband's empire. Luke Pasqualino ('Skins', 'Shantaram') plays the charming Basil 'Bas' Baddingham, Tony's younger brother and the proprietor of Cotchester's hot spot, 'Bar Sinister'.

Emily Atack ('The Emily Atack Show, 'The Inbetweeners') plays Sarah Stratton, the new wife to Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Stratton, played by Rufus Jones ('W1A', 'Home'). Sarah is ambitious and not afraid to use her looks to get to the top. Paul, on the other hand, is in the throes of a midlife crisis - everyone knows it.

The book is packed with sex, romantic entanglements and shocking antics, and it's expected that the TV series will be, too.

The East Somerset Railway is a 2.9 km heritage railway, stretching between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. It was part of the Cheddar Valley line, running from Witham to Yatton, intersecting with the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Wells. However, even before the publication of 'The Reshaping of British Railways' by Dr Richard Beeching in March 1963, the line was marked for potential closure.

Today, the East Somerset Railway plays host to an array of preserved diesel and steam locomotives and the upcoming Disney+ series 'Rivals' brings a new chapter to the railway's rich history. Be sure to look out for the transformed Cranmore station when the series premieres.