NOT ALL ROADS ARE PAVED WITHGold

It’s hard to believe that, this July 2023, marks 30 years since the demise of the ill fated BBC soap Eldorado. It still represents the longest ongoing battle to bring back a programme even after all these years. Imagine if it was updated, it would compete with other ‘paradisiacal, overseas series’ like “Death in Paradise”. At the time of its launch it was ground breaking, because nobody had ever attempted filming and editing ‘on site’ an overseas programme, ready for broadcast, from Europe, even for one programme a week, but three……..?

Unheard of; but it was done. If you are younger than 30 years of age you probably only hear of it as some urban myth. But it did exist and sadly, shrouded by BBC politics, only made it to the first year, before Alan Yentob, at that time, the newly appointed Director General at the corporation, axed it unceremoniously.

I and my partner at the time, had a casting agency based in Fuengirola when we were contacted by our friend James Todesco who had joined forces with his friend and serial film producer, John Dark to put together a film studios behind the Lew Hoad’s Tennis Club on the road to Mijas. So we moved our offices to the studios and started working on future TV programmes. One of which was the dream of James and John to have a soap filmed on the Coast. They discussed it with the BBC who contacted Julia Smith and Tony Holland, the producer and writer respectively of the BBC’s massive success, “EastEnders”. John and James were to be the producers, but despite John’s track record the powers that be said the only way the package would work for the BBC was if the highly respected and prolific TV produce Verity Lambert was to be the Executive Producer. The game was on. The working title that we wanted was something like, Marbella, Marbella. Tony Holland wanted “Little England” in the end the perverse name of Eldorado was chosen by the BBC.

‘So what has this got to do with Cabopino?’ I hear you ask. We had to find locations and whilst we visited plenty of places, John and James had done a deal with the town council of Coin, a small town on the outskirts of Mijas where the main set was to be built. We had stopped for a drink in Calahonda at the El Zoco commercial centre when Tony had his eureka moment. He had found his Little England and the set designer Keith (Bomber) Harris — who designed Albert Square — had to design our set in the same style as El Zoco — and it was. So this is now where Cabopino comes in. We needed a beach bar. So, we built one. With permission from the Port and the authorities we were allowed to construct an authentic ‘ chiringuito ’. Part of the deal was that if and when the series came to an end, or a different location was chosen, that the production company had to leave the Beach Bar as it was. And that is what happened — be it prematurely.

So next time you go into La Lonja Beach Bar, you will be soaking up some BBC/Spanish history. You may feel the ‘ghosts’ of the actors and their characters who may wish they were still here, just like their colleagues in Eastenders, Emmerdale Farm or Coronation Street.

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