Candid Caller

ELDORADO is doomed, soon to sink without trace. But into the sudsy cauldron Lifeboat, a brave new replacement, will set sail. Work is already under way in Swansea on the pounds 3m drama series. The Candid Caller asked the Joneses: will you miss Eldorado, and is Lifeboat more likely to turn you on?

Mrs Margaret Jones of Swansea: 'I will miss Eldorado. I think it fills a gap. I read that Lifeboat is based on the Swansea lifeboats so I'll certainly give it a try. I really don't think we get value for money from the BBC licence fee. There are too many repeats.'

Mr David Jones of Swansea: 'I won't miss it because I've never seen it. I don't think I'll watch Lifeboat either. I'm more interested in the non- fiction programmes, to be honest.'

Mrs Barbara Jones of Swansea: 'We do watch Eldorado and have done right from the beginning. I think the BBC should have let it run a bit longer and given it a chance. Lifeboat appeals to me. I'll give it a go.'

Mrs Pauline Jones of Swansea: 'I won't miss Eldorado although my children may. Lifeboat sounds more interesting and I think we'll enjoy that more.'

Mrs Betty Jones of Swansea: 'I have watched every episode of Eldorado. When it started it didn't have a very good write-up, so I decided to watch it to see whether it improved, which it did. In the beginning, they had too many characters and it took the viewers a long while to sort out who was who. I will miss Eldorado, but I will happily give Lifeboat a go instead.'

Mr Derek Jones of Swansea: 'I thought Eldorado was appalling, badly acted and poorly made. What amazes me is that when they built the Eldorado set they made it unsuitable for real habitation, so it doesn't even have any value as a development. The new series, Lifeboat, doesn't sound very original either. I'm sure we've seen something like it before.'