ON PREVIOUS DAYS:
- YESTERDAY:
Let's Build A Rollercoaster - DAY BEFORE:
When Lennon Met McCartney - DAY BEFORE THAT:
Zeppelin Takes Flight - DAY BEFORE BEFORE THAT:
The First Tour De France đ˛
ON THIS DAY
The Sun Sets on 'Eldorado'
One of the BBCâs biggest-ever flops, soap opera âEldoradoâ, broadcast its final episode on 9th July, 1993 – just one year after it had begun, at a reported cost of ÂŁ10 million.
Focussing on the glamorous lives of British expats – fusing the elements of âEastEndersâ and âNeighboursâ – it had seemed destined to be a sure-fire hit. So, a large permanent set for the fictional town of Los Barcos was built from scratch in the Costa Del Sol. These days it is used for paint-balling.
In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion unearth Rupert Murdochâs alleged attempts to sabotage the soap; consider whether it was actually rather more successful an enterprise than it was given credit for at the time; and reveal which cancelled TV shows theyâd resurrect, if only they could…
Further Reading:
⢠The final scene and closing credits of âEldoradoâ (BBC, 1993):
⢠âSun, sea and subtitles – how Eldorado became TV’s biggest flopâ (The Guardian, 2018): https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jul/09/eldorado-bbc-one-soap-opera
⢠Los Barcos – the Unofficial Eldorado Website: http://www.losbarcos.org.uk/
ON THIS DAY
The Sun Sets on 'Eldorado'
One of the BBCâs biggest-ever flops, soap opera âEldoradoâ, broadcast its final episode on 9th July, 1993 – just one year after it had begun, at a reported cost of ÂŁ10 million.
Focussing on the glamorous lives of British expats – fusing the elements of âEastEndersâ and âNeighboursâ – it had seemed destined to be a sure-fire hit. So, a large permanent set for the fictional town of Los Barcos was built from scratch in the Costa Del Sol. These days it is used for paint-balling.
In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion unearth Rupert Murdochâs alleged attempts to sabotage the soap; consider whether it was actually rather more successful an enterprise than it was given credit for at the time; and reveal which cancelled TV shows theyâd resurrect, if only they could…
Further Reading:
⢠The final scene and closing credits of âEldoradoâ (BBC, 1993):
⢠âSun, sea and subtitles – how Eldorado became TV’s biggest flopâ (The Guardian, 2018): https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jul/09/eldorado-bbc-one-soap-opera
⢠Los Barcos – the Unofficial Eldorado Website: http://www.losbarcos.org.uk/
ON PREVIOUS DAYS:
- YESTERDAY:
Let's Build A Rollercoaster - DAY BEFORE:
When Lennon Met McCartney - DAY BEFORE THAT:
Zeppelin Takes Flight - DAY BEFORE BEFORE THAT:
The First Tour De France đ˛
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OLLY MANN
Olly Mann made his name with another trivia-wielding podcast, Answer Me This! with Helen Zaltzman – and now presents The Modern Mann, The Week Unwrapped, and Four Thought for BBC Radio Four. He also has an A-Level in History, so Dan Snow beware.
REBECCA MESSINA
Rebecca got a passion for podcasting  working at The Week magazine and a passion for trivia appearing on University Challenge in 2011, making The Retrospectors her natural home.
ARION MCNICOLL
Arion started out in satirical news in Australia, then moved to the UK to work for ostensibly serious publications including The Times, CNN, and The Week⌠before realising that since around 2016 the news has all been satire really.
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