Typewriter used by comedy genius Ray Galton to bash out scripts for Steptoe and Son goes up for auction (plus whisky bottle from Leonard Cohen thanking him ‘for all the laughs’)
- Steptoe and Son is celebrated as one of Britain’s greatest comedy sitcoms
- Written by Ray and comedy partner Alan Simpson, it ran in the 1960s and 70s
- Now a treasure trove of memorabilia from Ray’s former home will be sold off
- Items include a piano, BAFTA awards and a whisky bottle from Leonard Cohen
- All the items will go under the hammer in London on Saturday, October 29
A typewriter used to craft the script of the beloved British sitcom Steptoe and Son could fetch hundreds of pounds at auction after being discovered at the scriptwriter’s home.
Comedy fans will get the chance to own a piece of British TV history when the typewriter owned by Ray Galton goes under the hammer next week, alongside a treasure trove of other memorabilia.
They include a Christmas gift of vintage Macallan whisky from Canadian poet, songwriter and novelist Leonard Cohen thanking Ray ‘for all the laughs’.
The typewriter used to create the script for Steptoe and Son is being sold at auction along with a vintage Macallan whisky given to Steptoe and Son writer, Ray Galton by famed Canadian poet and novelist, Leonard Cohen
Steptoe and Son was a smash hit sitcom in the 1960s and early 70s, once commanding an audience of 28million viewers. Pictured is a scene from the show
All the items once owned by the late comedy genius was unearthed at his former home near Hampton Court Palace, London.
The typewriter and whisky will be sold alongside Ray’s Bechstein grand piano at Hansons Auctioneers, in London, on Saturday, October 29.
Chris Kirkham, Hansons associate director, said: ‘The period splendour of Ray’s former family home is certainly a far cry from the tatty rag-and-bone yard the nation came to know and love in Steptoe and Son.
‘Back in the 1960s, it was a ground-breaking sitcom because it featured poverty-stricken working-class characters.
‘It was a dose of social realism at a time when upper-class accents and slapstick fun were the norm.
‘Ray was a former union worker struck down by tuberculosis at 18. Nevertheless, he went on to achieve phenomenal success as a radio and television scriptwriter.
‘Just how far he came is illustrated by the place he called home.
All the items up for auction we uncovered from the home of the late Ray Galton in Hampton Court Palace, London (pictured)
Among the treasure trove being auctioned off in London next week includes this Bechstein piano
‘As well as being awash with memories of his life and times, it is simply a magnificent place to be, enriched with a sense of history and happiness.
‘It’s been an absolute privilege to go inside.’
He added: ‘To walk into a room and see his BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards decorating a Bechstein grand piano, or to pick up a bottle of whisky to read a personal message from Leonard Cohen, was special for me.
‘And the moment I saw Ray’s typewriter I immediately pictured him hammering away at the keys, bringing a comedy moment to life.
‘Whoever is fortunate enough to buy that will own a very special memento of British television history.’
Experts believe the typewriter, estimate £100-£200, Macallan whisky, £200-£400, and Bechstein piano, £500-£700, could smash their guide prices.
Comedy icons: Ray Galton, left, pictured with his writing partner and long-term friend, Alan Simpson, who together wrote the scripts for Steptoe and Son
Ray’s BAFTA awards will be sold off alongside his typewriter and piano during the auction, on Saturday, October 29
Also up for grabs is this book from Ray’s former home. Auctioneers expect many of the items going under the hammer to sell for hundreds of pounds
Steptoe and Son is regarded as one of the best British sitcoms of all time and key character Albert Steptoe is ranked 39th in a list of 100 Greatest TV Characters.
Such was the sitcom’s impact, it was remade in America as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert, in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon, in Portugal as Camilo & Filho, and in South Africa as Snetherswaite and Son. Two film adaptations of the series were also released.
Galton and Simpon: British comedy giants
The pair of comedy legends first met in 1948 while recovering from tuberculosis at Milford Sanitorium in Godalming, Surrey.
This chance encounter ignited the embers which would lead them to comedy stardom and form a 50-year partnership.
Their first big break in comedy came after writing for Derek Roy in Happy Go Lucky.
Although this was an immediate success, it opened the door for the duo to join radio variety series Hancock’s Half Hour in 1954.
Honing their craft, the duo continued to write scripts for the popular broadcast, which later ran on TV between 1956 and 1961.
A year later and the pair created their pioneering sitcom Steptoe and Son, which became one of Britain’s most beloved comedies.
The format, exported across the globe, pulled an audience of 28million Brits at its peak and lasted an impressive eight series over 12 years.
Critics hailed it as ‘sad, tragic and funny’, with Steptoe and Son spawning two features and a 1974 Christmas special.
Although their future endeavours never quite lived up to the huge success of Steptoe and Son, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were celebrated as comedy icons, who helped to inspire a new form of television genre.
The duo were both awarded OBEs in 2000 for their contribution to British television.
To cement their place in history, the British Comedy Society unveiled a blue plaque at the Milford Hospital – the former sanatorium where the pair first met.
In May 2016, the two men was awarded a BAFTA fellowship for their comedy writing.
Albert, the mean and grasping father, was played by Wilfrid Brambell while his long-suffering son, Harold, was portrayed by Harry H. Corbett.
It the show’s peak, it was enjoyed by more than 28million Brits every week.
Ray, who died in 2018 aged 88, was best known for his writing partnership with Alan Simpson.
They devised and wrote 1950s and 60s BBC sitcoms including Hancock’s Half Hour (1954-1961), the first two series of Comedy Playhouse (1961-1963), and Steptoe and Son (1962-1974).
As well as work with Tony Hancock and Steptoe actors Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell, they wrote television, film and stage scripts for the likes of Frankie Howerd, Peter Sellers, Leonard Rossiter and Arthur Lowe.
Their work is still screened regularly around the world in English and in foreign language versions.
Steptoe and Son was adapted for US TV as Sanford and Son and ran for several years in the 1970s on NBC.
The much-loved show Steptoe & Son happened after Mr Galton came up with the idea of a comedy series about two rag and bone men.
It featured a ‘dirty old man’, Albert Steptoe who was played by Wilfrid Brambell, and his frustrated son, Harold – played by Harry H Corbett.
Critics lauded the ‘sad, tragic and funny’ sitcom, which ran for eight series, spawned two feature films and ended with a 1974 Christmas special.
Ray was born in Paddington, West London. After leaving school he worked for the Transport and General Workers Union.
He contracted tuberculosis at the age of 18 in 1948 and was admitted to Milford Sanatorium near Godalming, Surrey, where he met fellow patient Alan Simpson, the man who became his writing partner.
Ray married Tonia Phillips in 1956, and they had three children. Sadly, Tonia died from cancer in 1995.
Ray won two BAFTA awards among many others accolades, and received an OBE in 2000, with Ray and Alan receiving the Bafta Fellowship, the academy’s highest honour, in 2016.
Mr Galton and Mr Simpson were honoured with lifetime achievement awards from the Writers’ Guild in 1997, and OBEs in 2000.
The iconic scriptwriter died in 2018 after a ‘long and heartbreaking battle with dementia’.
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