Michael Eavis, Stuart Broad and Shirley Bassey in New Year's Honours

Stuart Broad, Mary Earps, Sajid Javid Emilia Clarke have all been named and arise Sir Michael Eavis, founder of Glastonbury

Some of the people being honoured this year
Author: Jamie WilliamsonPublished 29th Dec 2023

England goalkeeper Mary Earps, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis and Game of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke are among the stars of sport, stage and screen recognised in the New Year Honours list, while the Archbishop of Canterbury leads those rewarded for their work on the King's coronation.

Dame Shirley Bassey

Dame Shirley is being given the great honour of becoming companion of honour. The group can have only 65 members at any one time and she becomes the 64th.
Born in Wales, the songstress has sold over 135 million records.

Sir Ridley Scott

Director and Producer Sir Ridley Scott is having his knighthood upgraded to Knight Grand Cross.
He's the man behind blockbusters, Gladiator, Alien, and most recently Napoleon starring Joaquim Phoenix

Stuart Broad

Following his retirement from Cricket Stuart Broad is being given a CBE (Commander of the Order.)
He's been one of England's best players for more than a decade.

Leona Lewis

Once known as 'X-Factor' contestant Leone Lewis is being awarded an Order of the British Empire Medal (OBE) for services to music.

Emilia Clarke

Game of Thrones star, actress Emilia Clarke is being awarded an MBE alongside her mother who jointly started the brain injury charity, SameYou.
It's after Emilia suffered two brain haemorrhages she dealt with privately whilst making Game of Thrones.

Sajid Javid

Former Home and Health Secretary Sajid Javid is being given a knighthood and will be known as Sir Sajid Javid.
He's one of a handful of politicians to be awarded.

MPs Siobhain McDonagh and Dame Margeret Beckett

Labour MPs Siobhain McDonagh and Dame Margeret Beckett will both be known by Dame.
McDonagh is being given her first Dame Commander whilst Beckett is having hers upgraded to Dame Grand Cross.

Michael Eavis

Glastonbury Founder Michael Eavis is being awarded an knighthood at will become Sir Michael Eavis.
His services to music and charity are being celebrated.

England Lioness' being honoured

Left to right, England Lioness' Lauren Hemp, Mary Earps and Millie Bright.
They're all being honoured after an incredible year coming second in the World Cup.
Hemp is being awarded an OBE whilst teammates Earps and Bright are being given MBEs.

Bill Beaumont

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont is being awarded a Knight Grand Cross and becomes Sir Bill Beaumont for his work in the world of Rugby Union and for his charity work,

Jill Gladwell

Jill Gladwell is the oldest volunteer at the Royal British Legion at age 97.
She's being awarded an MBE

Ian Russel

Ian Russell is the father of Molly Russell who took her own life aged just 14.
He set up a foundation in her name and was key to starting the Online Safety Bill.

Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield

Former Rugby League Players Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield are both awarded CBE's
Both have done an amazing amount of work to raise awareness about Motor Neuron Disease and raise money for charity.

Who's being honoured this year?

Singer Dame Shirley Bassey, who has sold more than 135 million records, is made Companion of Honour for her services to music, becoming the 64th living member of the order which can only have 65 members at any one time.

Dame Shirley, who was born and grew up in Tiger Bay in Cardiff, said:

"My heart is full of emotion and I am truly humbled."

She said:

Director and producer Sir Ridley Scott, whose works include Gladiator, Alien and Napoleon, is made a Knight Grand Cross, upgrading his previous knighthood, while author Jilly Cooper becomes a dame.

"I am absolutely and incredibly bowled over. I cannot believe I am a DBE, which in my case also stands for Delighted, Bewildered and Ecstatic."

Sir Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) for his personal service to the Crown during the coronation at Westminster Abbey in May.

Awards of the RVO are in the King's gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal way.

Sir Justin conducted the service for the coronation and had the momentous task of anointing and crowning Charles and Camilla.

Other notable names in the list include England cricketer Stuart Broad, who is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) following his retirement; singer Leona Lewis, who becomes an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE); and author Kate Mosse, who is also made a CBE.

Novelist Ms Mosse, a co-founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction, has been made CBE for services to literature, to women and to charity.

She said:

"It does feel that although obviously this is for me, it's very much an acknowledgement of the importance of the Women's Prize, and that it matters that women support other women."

In politics, former chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid has been knighted, Dame Margaret Beckett, Labour MP for Derby South, has had her damehood upgraded to a Dame Grand Cross, and Siobhain McDonagh, Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, has been made a Dame Commander.

Elsewhere, Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) alongside her mother Jenny as co-founders of SameYou, a brain injury recovery charity they established after she survived two brain haemorrhages.

Clarke, who shot to fame playing the Mother of Dragons in the hit HBO series, told the PA news agency the honour was "remarkable" and felt it was "life-enhancing and magical" to see her mother, who has also had surgery to remove a brain aneurysm, also recognised for the work.

Glastonbury Festival founder Sir Michael, listed under his full name Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis, said he was looking forward to his investiture after being knighted for services to music and charity.

In an interview for the official Glastonbury website, Sir Michael said:

"I think William might do the ceremony.

"He's made a few mentions of wanting to come to the festival.

In sport, England captain Millie Bright has been made an OBE, while her fellow Lionesses Earps and Lauren Hemp have been made MBEs for services to football after they finished runners-up to Spain in the women's World Cup.

"So I'll probably take a couple of tickets in my pocket!"

The honour caps a remarkable month for Earps after she was crowned 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year in a public vote.

Sir Bill Beaumont has been made Knight Grand Cross for services to rugby union football and to charity.

This year's list includes a total of 1,227 recipients, 48% of whom are women, and 13.8% come from an ethnic minority background.

The oldest recipient is Jill Gladwell, 97, from Stowmarket, who has become an MBE for her voluntary services to the Royal British Legion in Suffolk, while nine-year-old Tony Hudgell, the youngest recipient, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the prevention of child abuse.

Ian Russell, father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life after viewing harmful material on social media, has become an MBE for services to child safety online.

Last September, a coroner ruled schoolgirl Molly, from Harrow, north-west London, died from "an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content" in November 2017.

Mr Russell has set up the Molly Rose Foundation suicide prevention charity in her memory and has contributed to the establishment of the Online Safety Bill.

On what Molly would have made of his MBE, he said:

"If she thought she could help those people live long and stay strong, she'd be very proud indeed."

"Molly was quite content to get on stage and take part in school plays, but she was a quiet person, she didn't like the limelight, so I think she would have found this a bit strange.

"But because she was such a caring person I think she would have been tremendously proud of being able to help people who may be struggling with their mental health and may be beginning to have thoughts about suicide.

Former rugby league players Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield have both been made CBEs for services to motor neurone disease (MND) awareness.

Burrow won eight Super League titles with Leeds and represented Great Britain and England before he announced he had been diagnosed with MND at the age of 37 in 2019.

Inspired by his former Leeds team-mate, Sinfield this month battled through a gruelling schedule of running seven ultramarathons in as many days in seven different cities around Britain and Ireland.

His latest fundraising challenge to help people living with MND raised more than £1 million.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

"The New Year's Honours List recognises the exceptional achievements of people across the country and those who have shown the highest commitment to selflessness and compassion.

"To all honourees, you are the pride of this country and an inspiration to us all."

Read now

Biggest stories of 2023

Biggest stories of 2024

Bank Holidays 2024

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.