"Eldorado" (1992) TV series 1992-1993

Creator:

Tony Holland
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 July 1992 (UK)

Plot:

A soap opera about the ex-pats who lived in Los Barcos. The series focused mainly on the British and their lives...

Plot Keywords:

Soap

Cast

Jesse Birdsall	...	Marcus Tandy (61 episodes, 1992-1993)
Sandra Sandri	...	Pilar Moreno (53 episodes, 1992-1993)
Josh Nathan	...	Blair Lockhead (43 episodes, 1992-1993)
Leslee Udwin	...	Joy Slater (41 episodes, 1992-1993)
Patricia Brake	...	Gwen Lockhead (39 episodes, 1992-1993)
Campbell Morrison	...	Drew Lockhead (38 episodes, 1992-1993)
Hilary Crane	...	Rosemary Webb (33 episodes, 1992-1993)
Polly Perkins	...	Trish Valentine (33 episodes, 1992-1993)
Faith Kent	...	Olive King / ... (32 episodes, 1992-1993)
William Lucas	...	Stanley Webb (32 episodes, 1992-1993)
Bo Corre	...	Ingrid Olsson (32 episodes, 1992-1993)
Roger Walker	...	Bunny Charlson (26 episodes, 1992-1993)
Kim Rømer	...	Per Svendsen (26 episodes, 1992-1993)
Roland Curram	...	Freddie Martin (26 episodes, 1992-1993)
Julie Fernandez	...	Nessa Lockhead (25 episodes, 1992-1993)

Series Directed by
Mervyn Cumming		(10 episodes, 1992)
Fiona Cumming		(3 episodes, 1992)
Philip Draycott		(3 episodes, 1992)
Garth Tucker		(3 episodes, 1992)
Sallie Abrahams		(unknown episodes)
Stephen Butcher		(unknown episodes)
Philip Casson		(unknown episodes)
Sue Dunderdale		(unknown episodes)
Steve Finn		(unknown episodes)
Henry Foster		(unknown episodes)
Robert Gabriel		(unknown episodes)
Chris Johnston		(unknown episodes)
Jeff Naylor		(unknown episodes)
Ian Michael Phillips		(unknown episodes)
Nicholas Prosser		(unknown episodes)
Ian White		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Tony Holland		(159 episodes, 1992-1993)
Tony McHale		(3 episodes, 1992-1993)
Jane Hollowood		(2 episodes, 1992-1993)
Tony Jordan		(2 episodes, 1992-1993)
Juliet Ace		(unknown episodes)
Maureen Chadwick		(unknown episodes)
Alison Davis		(unknown episodes)
John Drew		(unknown episodes)
Lisa Evans		(unknown episodes)
Lilie Ferrari		(unknown episodes)
Jane Galletly		(unknown episodes)
Rob Gittins		(unknown episodes)
Andrew Holden		(unknown episodes)
Gary Hopkins		(unknown episodes)
Gerry Huxham		(unknown episodes)
Dean Lemmon		(unknown episodes)
Rosemary Mason		(unknown episodes)
Glen McCoy		(unknown episodes)
John Pennington		(unknown episodes)
Gillian Richmond		(unknown episodes)
Barrie Shore		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Julia Smith	....	producer (100 episodes, 1992-1993)
Corinne Hollingworth	....	producer (29 episodes, 1993)
John Dark	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)
Matthew Kuipers	....	line producer (unknown episodes)
James Todesco	....	associate producer: J. Dark y J. Todesco Production (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Simon Lockyer		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
John Dailley		(unknown episodes)
Nigel Williams		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
John Plummer		(1 episode, 1992)
Michael Hunt		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Angela Grosvenor		(17 episodes, 1992-1993)

Series Production Design by
Keith Harris		(1 episode, 1992)

Series Art Direction by
Andrew Ackland-Snow		(unknown episodes)
Neil Lamont		(unknown episodes)

Series Costume Design by
Christopher Marlowe		(unknown episodes)

Series Makeup Department
Shirley Boakes	....	makeup supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Matthew Kuipers	....	production supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Trevor Gittings	....	first assistant director (17 episodes, 1992-1993)
Nicki Ballantyne	....	first assistant director (6 episodes, 1992)
Julian Hearne	....	first assistant director (unknown episodes)
Jerry Smith	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Alan Jeapes	....	graphic designer (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Robert Miles	....	sound supervisor (unknown episodes)
Mark Nicholls	....	sound supervisor (unknown episodes)
Keron Steele	....	dubbing mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Ian Adrian	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Duncan Cross	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Alex Gurdon	....	lighting director (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lindsay Pugh	....	costume supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
John Parker	....	supervising editor (21 episodes, 1992-1993)
Julie Miller	....	vision mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Simon May	....	composer: title music (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Ian Aldwinckle	....	script editor (unknown episodes)
Adam Black	....	head of location department (unknown episodes)
Alison Davis	....	script editor (unknown episodes)
Janet Goddard	....	script editor (unknown episodes)
Julian Hearne	....	stage manager (unknown episodes)
John Maynard	....	script editor (unknown episodes)
Maren Muller	....	floor assistant (unknown episodes)
Caroline O'Reilly	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Dusty Symonds	....	production executive: BBC (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Cinema Verity
• J.Dark y J.Todesco
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

30 min (156 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Coín, Málaga, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Cinema Verity

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Verity Lambert: Drama Queen (2008) (TV)

Not as bad as you might think!

With the terrible reviews and screaming front-page headlines it got at the time Eldorado didn't stand a chance. The series was launched in too much of a hurry with too great a fanfare, leading to very high hopes for its fairly poor first episodes. After a little while, with a few of the huge cast removed and a more definite sense of direction, Eldorado became the best soap on British TV. But the damage was done, and it never really gained the place in public affections that it needed. The Beeb pulled the plug after a year.

Eldorado, by the time it finished, was absolutely unique. It had found its place in the world, and knew its direction. It was expending a lot of energy exploring the nature of people who leave their motherland and o to live in the sun. So much was revealed about the true nature of ex-pats, and some characters who seemed a bit faceless at the beginning were revealed as far more complex once they were given a bit of screen time to themselves. In Freddie Martin, Eldorado gave us one of TV's greatest gay characters: his reunion with his longlost daughter, Natalie, and his silent grief at the death of his secret boyfriend, Javier, were immaculately written and performed.

Eldorado was able to give great depth and involvement to the idea of culture clash, and to highlight what life in the "new" Europe was really like (boo-hiss baddie Marcus Tandy calls German Dieter "Adolf" at one point). There were characters and relationships never seen on TV, before or since (the Leducs' open marriage, modern Spanish women breaking away from traditional Catholic families, gay parents), and plenty of imagination given to thoroughly original storylines.

After the dodgy beginning, Eldorado became the most unique TV show that the BBC had ever tried. Ten years on, I still think it's a shame they didn't have the confidence to carry it through. Mind you, the last episode was a corker.