Explorer makes shocking discovery in Ken Dodd’s abandoned mansion
The urban explorer was left staggered over the decaying home, which comedian Sir Ken Dodd reportedly owned.
Colin Smith, who is perhaps better known as The Bearded Explorer, managed to delve into British comedian Sir Ken Dodd’s home, which had been abandoned since he died in 2018. Sir Ken, one of the most popular comedians of his time, was 90 when he passed away from complications of the flu.
Colin and some colleagues explored the house for YouTube, which had fallen into disrepair, in April 2023, before the building was sold at auction and completely cleared out. When they entered the large house, absolutely everything appeared to have been left behind, from whiskey glasses and cigars to sound systems and sofas.
As they explored the main living room, Colin was astonished to find a Nokia phone, a pile of keys, and untouched furniture which was covered in paperwork. When he entered a cupboard, he was shocked to see pristine coats hanging up, and then he walked into another room that was decaying.
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A picture of the late Queen Elizabeth II was soon discovered in a room whose ceiling was falling apart before Colin moved into the kitchen, which was still full of cleaning products on the countertop.
“God, everything is still here,” he told the camera before holding up a full bottle of Fairy Liquid. He then climbed a red staircase with gold railings before entering a bedroom.
As he opened the wardrobe, he was surprised to find it filled with clothes which he claimed “still smell brand new”.
“This really is incredible, how these places get left with all these possessions,” he noted. “It’s such a shame, it really is.”
Continuing the tour of the dilapidated home, he came across a pink bathtub covered in spiders in the main bathroom, then entered a severely decomposing bedroom with another collapsed ceiling.
“Even the wallpaper has fallen off in the corner over there, goodness me,” Colin noted. “This is amazing, look at this.”
In what was perhaps the most exciting find of the exploration, he came across an old video recorder with all the tapes in the camera bag intact.
Reflecting on the incredible find, he said: “Can you imagine what’s on these? I bet there are some amazing clips on there. If there is anything on there from the chap who used to live here, I bet there are lots of people who’d love to watch those.”
When he headed into the en-suite, he was baffled to discover dozens of unopened bottles of champagne and whisky, telling viewers: “This is incredible, none of these has been opened. Wow.”
The one item that was empty was a safe, which Colin found near the end of his exploration in a crumbling room.
