Jilly Cooper, Trailblazing Novelist Behind David Tennant’s Rivals, Dies at 88
Dame Jilly Cooper, the English author and journalist best known for the 38-year-spanning Rutshire Chronicles and the novel behind the David Tennant-led Rivals, has died at 88, shocking loved ones and fans who grew up with her iconic stories.
Sad news out of the UK: Dame Jilly Cooper, the grand dame of gleefully scandalous country-house sagas and the mind behind Rupert Campbell-Black, has died at 88 after a fall. It hits especially hard given how freshly her work was back in the spotlight this year.
The news
Cooper died on Sunday morning, October 5, following a fatal fall. The Rutshire Chronicles author had one of those careers that quietly ran the table for decades, and the loss clearly blindsided her family.
"Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds. Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock."
"We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us."
— Felix and Emily Cooper
The books that made her Jilly Cooper
Cooper was best known for the Rutshire Chronicles, a sprawling, wildly popular series she built over 38 years. If you ever picked up a paperback on holiday that had horses, heiresses, and people behaving badly, there is a non-zero chance it was one of these. The heavy hitters: 'Riders,' 'Mount!,' and 'Polo,' with the show-jumping lothario Rupert Campbell-Black cutting a path through them all.
From page to Disney+
Her 1988 novel 'Rivals' finally made the jump to TV in 2024, landing at Disney+. Inside baseball note: Cooper did not just wave from the sidelines; she signed on as an executive producer in her final years, which is a cool full-circle moment you do not always see with legacy authors.
The series centers on the clash between Rupert Campbell-Black and TV boss Tony Baddingham in the county of Rutshire, with a cast led by David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Bella MacLean, Aidan Turner, and Emily Atack.
How she got here
Before the novels turned her into shorthand for a certain kind of glossy British romp, Cooper cut her teeth in journalism. She started at a local paper in 1956, did a stint in PR, and then wrote for the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday. Her first non-fiction book, 'How To Stay Married,' arrived in 1969. Only then did the full-throttle fiction era begin.
Tributes
Her longtime agent Felicity Blunt summed up the cultural footprint pretty neatly, calling it the privilege of her career to work with someone who has shaped how people talk and read for more than fifty years, and noting that, yes, Rupert Campbell-Black remains the havoc-making poster boy for the Rutshire saga.
What to know at a glance
- Dame Jilly Cooper, English author and journalist, has died at 88 after a fall on Sunday morning, October 5.
- Signature work: the Rutshire Chronicles, built over 38 years, including 'Riders,' 'Mount!,' and 'Polo.'
- 'Rivals' (1988) was adapted by Disney+ in 2024; Cooper served as an executive producer.
- 'Rivals' centers on Rupert Campbell-Black vs. Tony Baddingham in Rutshire; cast includes David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Bella MacLean, Aidan Turner, and Emily Atack.
- Career roots: began in 1956 at a local newspaper; worked in PR; wrote for the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday.
- First non-fiction book: 'How To Stay Married' (1969).
- Family: children Felix and Emily shared a statement praising her boundless love and calling her death a shock.
Cooper leaves behind a very specific, very influential slice of British pop culture: glamorous, gossipy, horsey, and knowingly outrageous. And whether you were in it for the show jumping, the social climbing, or just Rupert being Rupert, there was nobody else quite like her.