After 'Rivals,' Watch the TV Movie Prequel All About Rupert Campbell-Black on Prime Video

If you’re missing Rupert Campbell-Black now that Rivals is on hiatus, you need to watch Riders. The 1993 made-for-TV movie directed by Gabrielle Beaumont is based on the first book in Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles series and follows Rupert in his equestrian days. Rupert, who is played by Alex Hassell on Rivals, is played by Marcus Gilbert (Army of Darkness) in Riders. Gilbert brings the same playfully sleazy energy to the character that fans of the show have come to expect. If any viewers are worried Riders won’t be as steamy as Rivals, those fears are quelled immediately with an opening scene where Rupert wakes up in bed next to a naked woman and runs a riding crop down her body. It goes on to tell a juicy, melodramatic story of romance in the world of professional showjumping.

‘Riders’ Shows That Rupert Campbell-Black Has Always Had Rivalries

Riders reveals Rupert has always had a penchant for making people angry. It depicts his intense rivalry with Jake Lovell (Michael Praed), a fellow equestrian and Olympic hopeful. Jake comes from a humble background and hates Rupert for bullying him at prep school. Jake still has stress dreams because the bullying is so severe. Early in the film, he tosses and turns in bed as he relives a memory of Rupert prodding him to get him to walk off a second-story window during a hazing ritual. As an adult, Rupert continues to be unapologetically cruel and competitive to Jake, taunting him when he finds out he’ll be going to the Olympics, not Jake. Rupert gets some comeuppance in the end, but as we know from Rivals, he’s hardly humbled by his setback in sports, and he successfully pivots to politics.

‘Riders’ Depicts Rupert Campbell-Black’s Marriage to Helen

Like Rivals, Riders delivers on Rupert getting into sexy, romantic hijinx. But, in the second half of the film, things turn to melodrama when they honeymoon period is over. Riders depicts Rupert’s rocky marriage to his first wife Helen, who is played by Arabella Holzbog in the movie and by Anastasia Griffith on Rivals. Helen’s scenes on Rivals generally involve Rupert begging to talk to their children and Helen refusing. And you might be forgiven for pitying Rupert for getting such a cold reaction from his ex, but Riders shows how Helen grew to hate him so much. Their relationship starts off with a Cruel Intentions-style bet about whether he can successfully conquer her. After that unseemly beginning, things only get worse. Over the course of their marriage, Rupert has affairs, misses key family moments, and blames Helen for their marriage by insisting she’s frigid and not sexually adventurous enough.

It can be brutal seeing him be such a terrible partner, especially if you enjoy him on Rivals and want to believe that he could change for Taggie O'Hara (Bella Maclean). And for those of you worried, Taggie does manage to tame Rupert and pull him away from his lothario ways. While his behavior in Riders is hard to watch, it still feels in line with his characterization on the Hulu series, showing all of his worst instincts. Everything in Riders feels in-character, and it gives the audience an unflinching look at Rupert at his most irresponsible and cold. The question is if he could truly start to mature on Rivals now that he's older — and has both Taggie and Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner) acting as good influences — or if he's locked into a certain pattern of behavior forever.

In Riders, Rupert still has his bad-boy charm, but his backstory will definitely illuminate why he seems to have so many enemies. On Rivals, he’s depicted as both gossiped about, even scorned, by the townsfolk while also being a popular politician who can have his pick of the women in the area. This movie shows exactly how he developed his reputation, the good and the bad. Just like Rivals rides the line between a charismatic playboy and opportunistic creep, Riders depicts the same mix.

Riders is available to stream in the U.S. on Prime Video.

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