9 hours ago
Legendary BBC series hailed as ‘guilty pleasure' streaming for free in UK
A cult TV series has been added to a streaming service in its entirety for the first time ever, giving audiences a rare opportunity to watch it the whole way through.
Eldorado, the short-lived BBC One soap from EastEnders creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith, is available to watch on UKTV Play.
The iconic soap, which ran for just 156 episodes, followed the lives of British and European expatriates who resided in the fictional town of Los Barcos in Spain.
It hit screens first in 1992, with BBC bosses hopeful of replicating the success of Australian imports such as Neighbours or Home and Away.
The show didn't exactly pan out as the station hoped, though it did undergo huge changes towards the end of its run, which received positive reviews from audiences and an uptick in ratings.
Despite the improvements, however, Eldorado was ultimately cancelled in 1993.
Viewers who missed the BBC serial first time around have had few opportunities in the subsequent decades to give it a go, with the soap having been re-run on TV a number of times.
UK Gold screened it in the late 90s and early noughties and a selection of episodes were made available on the UK's BritBox a few years ago.
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U&Drama re-ran the cult soap in its entirety earlier this year, with episodes added to streaming service UKTV Play for a short time after broadcast.
However, the service has now re-added the earlier episodes, meaning that – for the first time ever – fans can essentially stream the whole Los Barcos saga.
Though Eldorado was critiqued during its initial run, fan opinion has softened over the years. One viewer wrote on Reddit that they were enjoying the latest round of re-runs, branding the serial a 'guilty pleasure.'
Another called the show 'brilliant' and 'comedy gold'.
Just two weeks into the re-runs, fans were quick to share their delight at being able to revisit the sunny soap.
'#Eldorado continues to deliver absolute camp' said one on X. More Trending
Another added: 'Enjoying the repeats of Eldorado. I mean I can't hear it half the time but at least I can blame those Spanish acoustics and not my age.'
'Thoroughly enjoyed the first episodes of #Eldorado being repeated yesterday' said one.
When the repeats concluded, fan James wrote on X: 'Los Barcos, I'm gonna miss you,' referring to the overhauled era of the show as 'f***ing fantastic television'.
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Eldorado is now streaming on UKTV Play.
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