Rivals fans couldn’t believe their eyes when Aidan Turner went fully nude in one raunchy scene as the bonkbuster show returned ‘bigger and better than ever’ on Friday.
The Irish actor, 42, who plays Declan O’Hara, even flashed EastEnders’ Pam St Clement, 84, known to millions as the iconic Pat Butcher, as she made a surprise cameo in the opening episode of the second season.
After his character enjoys sex in the shower with Maude (Victoria Smurfit) the two go from love making to rowing and she kicks him out of their hotel room nude.
This is when he came face to face with Pam’s character before scarpering with cereal box covering his modesty, as she asked: ‘Was that Terry Wogan?’.
Fans could not believe heir eyes, after not only seeing the award winning actor’s nude body but the surprise appearance from a true soap icon.
They said: ‘Oh I say Aidan Turner going full’: ‘Rivals going full frontal!’: ‘An Aidan Turner nude scene whilst simultaneously getting a Pam St Clement cameo? That was very overwhelming very fast’: ‘OMG is that Pat from EastEnders in Rivals?!’ ‘The way I screamed when pat Butcher showed up in Rivals you would’ve thought she was Beyonce’.
Rivals fans couldn’t believe their eyes when Aidan Turner went fully nude in one raunchy scene as the bonkbuster show returned ‘bigger and better than ever’ on Friday
While others went on: ‘Rivals back better than ever’: ‘Rivals is back and as good as ever! Loved the first three episodes of season 2’: ‘David Tennant’s dry wit and perfect sarcastic delivery of some of his lines are one of the absolute best things about rivals’.
Season two of Rivals has seen producers ensuring they maintain their status as the ‘naughtiest show on TV’.
While just three of the 12 episodes have been released as of yet, there is no shortage of racy scenes, with the characters wasting no time stripping off and indulging in acts of passion.
Just eight minutes into the first episode and viewers are confronted with the sight of two flaccid penises as brothers Sebbie and Dommie Carlisle, played by Maxim Ays and Bobby Lockwood, strip off and go skinny dipping at a pool party.
Having featured enough racy moments to make Rivals writer Dame Jilly Cooper proud, episode one concludes with a sweet tribute to the late author.
Before the credits roll, up flashes a black and white photograph of the writer, who died last October after a fall at her home while season two was still being filmed.
Episode two is far more limited with its racy content, yet to make up for it, the episode opens with a lengthy sex montage between Rupert and Cameron.
The only other cheeky moment occurs when Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones) is filmed in the shower with his bare bottom on display.
The Irish actor, 42, who plays Declan O’Hara, even flashed EastEnders’ Pam St Clement, 84, known to millions as the iconic Pat Butcher, as she made a surprise cameo
Fans could not believe heir eyes, after not only seeing the award winning actor’s nude body but the surprise appearance from a true soap icon
While not explicitly shown, the theme of sex is prominent in episode three, as MP Rupert’s campaign for re-election is threatened after being exposed as a ‘sexual deviant’.
His past indiscretions, including taking part in sex parties, involving his wife in foursomes and his infidelities are discussed at length.
In what later appears to be a nod to Colin Firth’s famous Pride and Prejudice scene, Rupert is soaked by a hose while wearing a white vest and shirt.
A departure from the raunchiness comes with Lizzie and James Vereker’s (Katherine Parkinson and Oliver Chris) sex scene.
Devoid of any kind of passion, the pair are filmed briefly underneath bed sheets, with Oliver encouraging his wife to let the ‘mole live in the hole’.
This is swiftly followed by a scene implying that Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack) is performing oral sex on her husband Paul, but nothing is explicitly shown.
Pam played the iconic Pat Butcher from from 1986 until 2012
The final sex scene is episode three is far more graphic and features political hopeful Gerald Middleton (Hubert Burton) and TV producer Charles Fairburn (Gary Lamont).
Their romance was introduced in the first season of the show, with Rivals executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins explaining why they felt the need to introduce a gay romance into the show when it didn’t feature in the books.
Dominic told Radio Times: ‘In the book, Charles and Gerald are both gay characters, but they never actually cross. What was really important to us was alongside the heterosexual love stories, telling a big, swooping gay love story.’
When asked if this was an example of ‘pushing a gay agenda’, Dominic responded: ‘I have a humanity agenda. It’s about making everyone stop thinking about themselves and instead empathise with other people.’
The timing of Charles and Gerald’s storyline is also relevant, given it’s set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 policy, which banned schools from teaching children about homosexuality
