''Rock Rivals'' was a British television drama series following the lives of two celebrity judges on an ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' style show as their marriage falls apart. It was produced by

Shed Productions Shed Productions, part of Warner Bros. Television Productions UK, was an independent UK television production company, specialising in contemporary, original drama programming and content. It was established in 1998 by Eileen Gallagher, Brian P ...

, the company behind ''

Footballers' Wives ''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but ...

'', '' Bad Girls'' and '' Waterloo Road''. The series began on 5 March 2008 on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

and finished on 23 April 2008. It was not renewed, due to both poor ratings and reviews.

Production

The eight-part series was filmed from summer to autumn 2007, and delivered to

in spring 2008. On 2 July 2007 it was announced that former ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' actress

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas ''EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street''. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' from ...

and former ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' actor Sean Gallagher had both been cast for the lead roles of characters Karina Faith (née Lewis) (Collins) and her husband Mal (Gallagher). Two days later, in an appearance on the chat show ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'', Collins said that it would be filmed over a four-month schedule, and would probably air in January or February 2008. ''Rock Rivals'' finally wrapped on Stage B of

Ardmore Studios Ardmore Studios, in Bray, County Wicklow, is Irelands's only four wall studio. It opened in 1958 under the management of Emmet Dalton and Louis Elliman. Since then, it has evolved through many managements and owners. It has been the base for ...

in Bray, Ireland, on Friday 16 November. Two alternative endings were filmed for the final episode. The viewing public were to be given the chance to vote for their favourite finalist, and the appropriate version was to be aired. The show also starred

Siva Kaneswaran Siva Michael Kaneswaran ( ta, சிவ மைக்கல் கணேசுவரன்) (born 16 November 1988) is an Irish singer best known for being a member of the boy band The Wanted. Early life Kaneswaran grew up in Corduff Blanchar ...

, who would later become a member of

The Wanted The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker (singer), Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldw ...

Cast

Plot

Series 1 (2008)

''Rock Rivals'' follows the lives of two celebrity judges on an ''

'' style show as their marriage falls apart. Talent contest judge

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...

, a veteran of such shows, joined forces with Shed Media to produce the series.Rock Rivals - Shed and Cowell join forces
.

Episodes

DVD release

The 3-disc DVD box set of Rock Rivals was released in the UK on 28 April 2009, distributed by

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=1064628, title=Rock Rivals
''Rock Rivals''
at Shed-Media.com 2008 British television series debuts 2008 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series ITV television dramas 2000s British television miniseries Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios English-language television shows 2000s British music television series