London

Comedy
I am, of course, the self-appointed Mayor of Balham and I think I’m probably its best-known resident, although there may be equally eminent people who are shyer about living in Balham than me. I’ll do the occasional gig or catch other stand-up comics in action at The Bedford on Bedford Hill, the venue for the Banana Cabaret. Feature continues

Food and drink
When it comes to dining out, I’m not the sort of person who books anything in advance, so Chez Bruce (020 8672 0114, www.chezbruce.co.uk) on Bellevue Road, SW17, is usually full when I try to get a table, but I have managed to get in once or twice and they serve the best gazpacho I’ve ever tasted. I remember when the restaurant was called Harveys and I’d walk past and see Marco-Pierre White in the window on the telephone, probably shouting at somebody.

History and character
I’d been renting a grotty house in South Wimbledon when I decided to buy a flat. But I found the business of looking at properties so boring that I put in an offer on the next place I saw. That was my flat in Du Cane Court and I’m still living here. Comedians have always lived in Balham. I think we’re more at home here because south London is north London’s disreputable younger brother. It goes back to the days when posh people would be rowed over the Thames to enjoy the pleasure gardens of Bankside.There’s a cosmopolitan feel to this part of Balham. As well as Indians, Afghans and Italians, there’s a big Polish community. I live next to the Polish church and I like to sit in my garden and listen to their choir practice. If I ever moved, it would be to somewhere outside London, like Edinburgh or Cornwall. When I was working a lot in the West End, I toyed with the idea of buying a flat in Soho. If I had, I’d probably be dead by now.
Arthur Smith’s autobiography, 'My Name Is Daphne Fairfax' (£18.99, Hutchinson), is in bookshops now.

Property
'The majority of the property in Balham is Victorian. There are a few new developments, like the Trinder Mews homes that we are currently selling but predominantly it is period properties. Four- or five-bedroom houses can fetch anything up to £1 million, if within the sought after Nightingale Triangle. Period homes converted into two- and three-bedroom flats are usually priced between £375,000 to £500,000, depending on condition and location.' Paul Herring, Sales Manager at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward’s Balham branch (for more information on property in London visit www.kfh.co.uk).

Source: KFH 'Completely London' magazine.