BBC Television Centre sold for £200m

The BBC has sold its landmark Television Centre for about £200 million.

A statement released today said the corporation "exchanged contracts" with property developers Stanhope Plc on Saturday.

More details will be released when the sale is complete.

The 14-acre site in White City, west London, will be empty by 2015 after staff have moved to other sites including MediaCity in Salford and the new Broadcasting House in central London."

The BBC originally announced it wanted to sell the building, which opened in 1960, in 2007.

The main circular building, known to staff as the doughnut, was given Grade II listed status by English Heritage in 2009.

Among the shows recorded in its studios are Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blue Peter, Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing.

The site is also home to the Blue Peter garden, which has been relocated to Salford.

When the sale process was first announced, the then W12 programme director Richard Deverell said the building had "played an extraordinary and central role in the history of the BBC" and would "not be forgotten".

PA