Artist Grayson Perry and Queen guitarist Brian May have been knighted as part of the New Year’s Honours list of cultural figures.
Stephen Graham and David Harewood are two of the performers who have been honored with OBEs.
Already a dame, the pioneering 1960s fashion designer Mary Quant is promoted to Companion of Honour.
Anne Diamond, Frank Skinner, and Countdown’s Rachel Riley are all included on the list.
Brian May is knighted months after his band helped begin the Platinum Jubilee event in front of Buckingham Palace for the late Queen.
After more than 50 years with one of Britain’s most popular rock bands, he gets recognized for his contributions to music and philanthropy.
Grayson Perry, along with his alter persona Claire, rose to prominence in 2003 when he received the Turner Prize. He is well-known for his pottery works and tapestries that reflect his perspective on British culture.
His award for services to the arts comes after Grayson’s Art Club became a smash on Channel 4 during the epidemic, collecting public paintings for exhibitions in the United Kingdom.
John Akomfrah, a renowned artist whose video works deal with post-colonialism and migration, and Roly Keating.
Dame Mary Quant enters the elite Order of the Companions of Honour. It is reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts, science, medicine, or governance, and has a maximum of 65 members.
Oscar-nominated film and television composer George Fenton, whose soundtracks vary from Gandhi to Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth, and theatrical producer Sonia Friedman, whose productions include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Jerusalem, have been awarded CBEs.
Stephen Graham, famed for television dramas such as Help, Time, and Line of Duty, receives an OBE for his contributions to drama.
David Harewood receives the same award for his contributions to theatre and philanthropy. He’s been in Homeland, Supergirl, and documentaries like Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister? Together with My Psychosis And I.
Anne Diamond, a popular broadcaster, is also awarded an OBE for her contributions to public health and philanthropy. Since the death of her infant son in 1991, she has fought to minimize crib deaths.
YolanDa Brown, who is appointed OBE, has hosted television programs like YolanDa’s Band Jam on CBeebies and held prominent positions in the music industry and music education.
David Sutherland, who drew for The Beano such characters as Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids, is also granted an OBE.
Meanwhile, MBEs are awarded to Cleo Sylvestre, the first black actor to play a prominent role at London’s National Theatre, Frank Skinner, a renowned comedian and presenter, and Francesca Simon, the author of Horrid Henry.
Rachel Riley is awarded an MBE for her contributions to Holocaust education. She is also well-known for speaking out against anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and has won two libel cases this year as a result of this controversy.
Catherine Belton, an investigative journalist, receives the same honor. Five lawsuits were filed against her 2020 book Putin’s People by Russian oligarchs and corporations.
Along with playwright Rachel De-Lahay, singer Janet Kay noted for the 1979 Lovers’ Rock single Silly Games, is also granted MBE.
DJ Spoony, a producer, and radio host, is awarded the British Empire Medal for his charitable music contributions during Covid-19.
