Move over Cotswolds! The low-key Surrey postcode that’s Celebrity Central, with Tom Holland and Zendaya, Sarah Lancashire and Richard Osman all neighbours – and the BBC’s new director-general has a £5M home there
The news that ex-Google boss Matt Brittin has landed the biggest job in British television – he starts as director-general of the BBC next month – has barely raised an eyebrow among those who share a postcode with the high-flying British media executive.
Residents in the London Borough of Richmond, including the pretty riverside towns of Twickenham, Teddington and St Margarets, may well be nonplussed by news of yet another famous face in the area – celebrities, from A-list actors to sports stars and TV presenters, are ten-a-penny in these parts.
Close to Richmond Park, the 1000-hectare green space once used as a hunting ground for Henry VIII, for example, you’ll find the surprisingly inconspicuous London home of Spider-man star Tom Holland and rumoured new wife Zendaya.
The couple, who have dramatically renovated the townhouse they bought for £2.5million back in 2017, have been spotted shopping in Waitrose in nearby New Malden, enjoying long walks with their beloved black miniature schnauzer, Noon, in the royal park close to their luxury property and dining out at posh garden centre, Petersham Nurseries.
Hollywood king and queen! The pair enjoyed a date day at Henry VIII’s former home by the Thames, Hampton Court Palace, in the spring of 2023
Former Google boss Matt Brittin, who takes over from Tim Davie as director-general of the BBC next month, owns a house in Teddington – and he’s in regal company
And the world’s most famous naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, who celebrates his 100th birthday next month, is also a resident, once describing the upmarket borough as his ‘favourite place on earth’.
Sir David resides quietly in the same pretty, lilac-painted house – with, as you might expect, a beautiful garden, that he’s lived in since the early 50s.
His late brother, Richard Attenborough, also owned a home on Richmond Green until his death in 2014 at the age of 90.
Last year another Richard – Osman, author of the best-selling The Thursday Murder Club series, moved in reportedly snapping up an £8million home on Richmond Hill with wife Ingrid Oliver last year after decamping from Chiswick.
The 55-year-old, whose first novel spawned Steven Spielberg’s 2025 movie starring Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan, lives just a few streets away from where Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, alongside Ronnie and Jo Wood, resided before their respective splits.
Richard E Grant still lives in the Georgian home he shared with his late wife Joan Washington and comedian Rob Brydon has a home in Twickenham.
New BBC boss Matt Brittin, who takes over from outgoing director-general Tim Davie following his resignation over the Donald Trump Panorama documentary debacle, enjoys an outdoorsy life just up the road in Teddington.
House prices in the London Borough of Richmond – just 30 minutes from Waterloo by train – average out at nearly £900,000, compared to around £300,000 for the rest of the UK
The House of Games presenter and best-selling writer, pictured with his wife Ingrid Oliver at the UK premiere for The Thursday Murder Club in 2025, has reportedly recently decamped from nearby Chiswick to an £8million property in Richmond
Black Doves star Sarah Lancashire and husband Peter Salmon reside by the river too (Pictured at Wimbledon in 2025)
The former rower – who competed in The Boat Race for Cambridge three times and rowed for Team GB in the 1988 Seoul Olympics – snapped up a six-bedroom family home, thought to be worth around £5million today, in the pretty riverside town a decade ago.
The proximity to the Thames is likely to be a big draw for the sporty father of two, who bought a single sculling boat while in between roles.
The high-flying executive left Google last year after 18 years at the tech giant, having served as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the last decade.
After enjoying a ‘mini gap year’, the incoming director-general said of his appointment: ‘I hope to apply what I’ve learnt about technology and leadership to help people make the most of this wave of innovation in education, business, science and society – from different vantage points.’
Two former BBC big cheeses also call this middle-class south-west London enclave home – lending the area it’s affectionate nickname ‘TW BBC’.
Wander the tow path south of Richmond and you might spot Greg Dyke, who was the Beeb’s director-general from 2000 to 2004 – and Chairman of the FA from 2013 to 2016, out for a stroll.
The 78-year-old, who was born up the road in Hayes, in the shadow of Heathrow Airport, has another famous neighbour and former BBC colleague close by too.
Peter Salmon, married to Black Doves and Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire, has lived in this quiet, unassuming portion of the capital – around ten miles west of Broadcasting House – for decades.
This Morning star Ben Shephard and his wife Annie bought their dream home, a 10-bedroomed riverside property in Twickenham last year
Grand: The former bishop’s residence bought by Shephard is a stone’s throw from the Thames
Burnley-born Salmon, 69, now Chief Creative Officer for Endemol, was Controller of BBC One back in the late 90s, before taking on roles as Director of Sport and Director of BBC North, the latter a role he famously refused to move to Greater Manchester’s Salford for.
One local independent estate agent told the Daily Mail earlier this year that he’s watched his patch transform in the last decade, as high-profile high earners flock to a borough that has impressive transport links to both central London and Heathrow, independent shops galore, two theatres and major tourist attractions including Richmond Deer Park and Kew Gardens.
However, the real reason behind so many famous faces moving in comes down to one major celebrity deal-breaker – privacy.
Jonathan Mills, owner of agency Parkgate, says that residents take a laissez-faire approach to stars in their midst, which is hugely appealing to A-listers yearning for a quiet life.
He says: ‘Privacy is respected and I think that’s a large part of the appeal of Richmond. Celebrity is normalised here – residents may give a cursory nod of appreciation but they won’t run up screaming to them requesting photos.’
The Ted Lasso effect: The Apple TV series uses Richmond as its backdrop and local estate agent Mills says the number of US buyers moving to the area has risen since the show
The tiny alleyway where the character of Ted Lasso resides in the show has become a year-round tourist attraction, with a merchandise store dedicated to the show
House prices in the area average out at nearly £900,000, compared to around £300,000 for the rest of the UK.
Other residents you might recognise? This Morning presenter Ben Shephard and his wife Annie last year purchased a £3.5million 10-bedroom mansion, a former ecclesiastical residence a stone’s throw from the Thames.
And actress Jane Horrocks, most famous for her role as Bubbles in Absolutely Fabulous, is regularly seen shopping on bustling George Street in the town.
Spurs manager Thomas Frank, who used to lead nearby West London club Brentford, also calls the area home.
Could a certain US soccer coach also have elevated Richmond? The town doubles up as a backdrop for award-winning Apple TV show Ted Lasso, starring Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham.
Local estate agent Mills says the number of US buyers moving to the area has risen since the show first aired in 2020.
Filming of the fourth series of the hit football comedy recently wrapped and Richmond’s Paved Court, the cobbled alleyway where Lasso resides, now entertains tourists – many from America – year-round, with a two-storey merchandise store now in residence.
