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The House Where Terry Nation Created the Daleks Is Now Up For Sale

An important address in the history of Doctor Who, and also British broadcasting as a whole, has gone up for sale with the listing of a fine London townhouse in Orme Court, Bayswater.

The property is the former home of Associated London Scripts (ALS), the legendary agency where comedy greats Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Ray Galton, and Alan Simpson shared office space… along with a certain Terry Nation.

The house, where Milligan also lived for a time, is said to be where Nation, who originally tried to make his mark in comedy, worked on his first Dalek scripts for Doctor Who. Another connection the house has with Doctor Who comes with Dennis Spooner, who wrote scripts there for Thunderbirds and Stingray.

Beryl Vertue, who went on to become a successful television producer in her own right (overseeing Sherlock among many other successful series) worked as a secretary for ALS, going on to work her way up and become deputy chairman of Robert Stigwood’s group when he bought the company.

Built in the 1890s, the property’s comedy credentials are attested to by not one but two heritage blue plaques, celebrating Milligan and Sykes. The house is still laid out as office space but is said by the estate agents to be ready to be turned to a six-bedroom family home without the need for planning permission.

The house will set you back an eye-watering (but probably not so much for those familiar with the London property market) £6.5 million and is being sold by joint agents, Beauchamp Estates and Carter Jonas on behalf of the family of Eric Sykes, who worked there until his death in 2012.

Gary Hersham of Beauchamp Estate is clearly well aware of the house’s position in broadcasting history, saying “This famous property would make an outstanding London townhouse on the doorstep of Kensington Gardens, perfect for comedy and Dr Who [sic] fans alike.”

Take a look at the photos and floorplan (and who doesn’t like doing that, eh?) at Beauchamp Estates.

Jonathan Appleton

A regular Doctor Who viewer since Pertwee fought maggots and spiders, Jonathan isn't about to stop now. He considers himself lucky to have grown up in an era when Doctor Who, Star Trek and Blakes 7 could all be seen on primetime BBC1. As well as writing regularly for The Doctor Who Companion he's had chapters included in a couple of Blakes 7 books.

The House Where Terry Nation Created the Daleks Is Now Up For Sale

by Jonathan Appleton time to read: 1 min
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