‘She’s held so much in’: Claire Rushbrook takes us behind the scenes of Rivals’ heart-wrenching mid-season finale

On a dark and stormy night in Rutshire, two of Jilly Cooper’s most compelling heroines had a powerful heart-to-heart at the kitchen table – before a shocking mid-season finale cliffhanger. Ellie Harrison talks to Claire Rushbrook, who played duty-bound Monica Baddingham so movingly, about one of the most touching TV moments of the year