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Eldorado Stars Talk of Revival August 2013...eldoradorevisit...
Cast and crew await the judgement with impatience - as does the press. Where does such naked populism fit in with the Corporation's freshly asserted, John Birt- led role as a public service broadcaster? (If Eldorado goes, why not, say, EastEnders? Or most of the BBC's Light Entertainment output, since it is duplicated elsewhere?)
On the other, can the BBC really afford to ignore the wide spectrum of public taste? The Malaga-set drama, may have seen its own publicity blitz backfire, but, to paraphrase any Government minister of your choice, all the signs of recovery are there.
The once reviled series breached the BBC1 Top 30, bouncing from a low of 2.6 million to twelve million: a reasonably solid figure to build on. Even once-savage critical opinion has softened. 'About as sexy as cold suet pudding' has yielded to 'Is it my imagination or is Eldorado actually good?'
Sir Paul Fox CBE was the Managing Director of BBC Television 1988-1991
'Eldorado was beyond anybody's ability to bring off. A three-times- a-week serial from scratch, recorded thousands of miles away by an independent company without BBC-type resources. Never been done before. Think of the logistics. Let's put it mildly and say it's unusual. Granada waited for nearly 30 years before taking Coronation Street to three times a week and that's a proven property. Thames also waited until The Bill was established before moving to three times a week, and The Bill is shot in London, close to home. That still took major effort.
The compromise might be to take it down to twice a week. It might just have been possible originally at twice a week. That's easier to do than just kill it.
Alan Hart was the Controller of BBC1 1981-1984
'I'LL start from my own experience. I commissioned EastEnders. The brief was simple. To make it the best written, best acted, best directed soap on screen. We had a long preparation time because you must discuss all sorts of angles. A soap is an idea that must live for a long time.
'Of course, everything now is hindsight. Being set abroad, Eldorado obviously wanted to do something different with the soap formula. Jonathan Powell identified a need. At 7pm you want a popular show. Perhaps he had something like Z Cars in mind, though The Bill has taken over that role, but certainly an episodic drama rather than a soap - which is what taking Casualty to twice a week would have been. That would have left one slot remaining - which perhaps could have been a comedy. What would I have opted for? I don't know what I would have gone for.
The signs are that audiences are growing and the critics are coming round. There's no reason not to give it a year or more. The figure that got Eldorado into the Top 30 was eight million. Even if it's not destined to be a ratings blockbuster, anything over eight million - and maintained - would be decent.'
Hilary Kingsley
Hilary Kingsley is a 'Daily Mirror' columnist and the author of 'Soap Box: The Guide to Soap Opera', 'Box of Delights: The Golden Years of Television', 'The EastEnders Handbook', 'Prisoner: Cell Block H - The Inside Story'. She is currently working on a comprehensive history of BBC1's 'Casualty'.
'ELDORADO was meant to be different from EastEnders. You thought, 'Well, this team - the people who created EastEnders and Verity Lambert, who made Minder - can't have got it wrong. It'll come together.' But for six months it didn't. That allowed ill will to build up.
'The real problem was the lack of 'back story'. When the BBC made The Lotus Eaters, viewers discovered why the expats had escaped to Crete. Eldorado needs that. Are we going to find out now that Miss King is a lesbian? Something spectacular is needed.
'Yes, it is possible to turn it around. First, Eldorado should be given a critical amnesty. Recent storylines have been strong. The show manages to explore adult themes early in the evening without upsetting anyone. Producer Corinne Hollingworth is doing a good job. There's been an abortion in a Catholic family. Bisexuality. Homosexual fathers relating to their children. Alcoholism. Suicide. Pilar's kidnapping.
'The characterisations are much better. Trish, a middle-aged woman who still pursues sex - she's worth watching. The Lockhead family are also good value. There's Robert Curram's Freddie, which is simply excellent acting. If they keep this standard up . . .
'The BBC should stand by Eldorado, certainly until the summer - when Pilar will be on the beach in her bikini. Think of what that could do to the ratings. Even Granada gave Albion Market a year and it had an impossible time slot. Whatever, we should already be eternally grateful to Eldorado - it killed off Terry Wogan.'
C/O of The Independent