Inside the abandoned BBC set left to ruin (Image: GETTY)
Eldorado ran on the for just one year between 1992 and 1993, before it was suddenly cancelled. The corporation axed the Spanish soap after 156 episodes when the expensive show failed to produce high enough ratings.
Familiar faces who starred in the soap include Julie Fernandez (Brenda in The Office), Jesse Birdsall (Fraser Black in Hollyoaks), Polly Perkins (‘ Rose Cotton), Derek Martin (‘ Charlie Slater).
The set of Eldorado was left a ghost town, and an entire village was built in Andalusia, left abandoned and crumbling for decades despite millions being ploughed into it.
As reruns of the short-lived show are set to return, Express takes an inside look at the soap’s abandoned set.
Eldorado was set to be a big hit for the Beeb following the success of the corporation’s first soap opera, .
Launched in 1992, the show ran for 156 episodes, with bosses spending a whopping £10 million on it, and featured show stars such as Patricia Brake and Jesse Birdsall.
The cast of Eldorado on set of the BBC soap (Image: BBC)
Some of that money would have been spent on the purpose-built set for the fictional town of Los Barcos in the hills of Marbella on Costa del Sol.
In 2017, Polly Perkins – who played Trish Valentine in the soap – returned to the set and declared it had been left to “rack and ruin”.
She joined David Stillito on News as they toured the set after more than two decades since the show was cancelled.
Sharing her thoughts on its current state, Polly said: “It could do with a lick of paint, this place. If I’d have been here, it would’ve been done by now.
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Polly Perkins and David Stillito visit the deserted Eldorado set (Image: BBC)
Eldorado set is now abandoned Spanish ghost town (Image: BBC )
“It’s been let go to rack and ruin – I think it’s a terrible shame, what a waste. It’s not like it’s just scenery – these are real homes.”
The sun soaked soap opera was set to rival the likes of shows like Dynasty, focusing on a group of glamorous expats living in a small community in Spain.
Show producer, Julia Smith, was given just six months to get the soap up and running with work being started on building an entire village from scratch in the remote Spanish hillside, miles away from the nearest city, Fuengirola, at the eye-watering cost of £2million.
The soap’s first episode was watched by over eight million viewers but by the end of the first week ratings had dropped to five million and six weeks later just 2.8 million viewers remained.
After just one year the soap was dropped and the last episode aired on July 9 1993.
The set briefly became a hotel and then stood for decades as a ghost town with occasional filming taking place by TV productions. At one stage, it became a spot for “airsoft” shooting games.
With a staggering £10million loss, Eldorado had earned the reputation as one of the ‘s biggest failures in the corporation’s history.
However, fans are being given the chance to relive the magic, as UKTV channel U&Drama will be airing two episodes of the show each weekday from Monday, January 27.
The soap has been the subject of many fan campaigns over the years, with nostalgic viewers hoping it will one day be revived.
Eldorado will air on UKTV channel U&Drama from Monday 27 January with two episodes each weekday