Idris Elba is officially Sir Idris, as he leads the New Year Honours list alongside ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and Harry Potter star Warwick Davis is to be an OBE.
Sir Idris, 53, known for his roles in The Wire and Luther, is knighted for services to young people, having founded the Elba Hope Foundation, which supports community empowerment, education, youth advocacy and sustainable development.
He said: ‘I receive this honour on behalf of the many young people whose talent, ambition and resilience has driven the work of the Elba Hope Foundation.
‘I hope we can do more to draw attention to the importance of sustained, practical support for young people and to the responsibility we all share to help them find an alternative to violence.’
In 2024, he called for an immediate ban on machetes and so-called zombie knives, and met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to launch a new anti-knife crime coalition.
He also spoke to Sir Keir and the King during the BBC documentary Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis.
The hour-long programme saw him meet young offenders, bereaved families, youth workers and the police to understand why there has been an upward trend in knife crime.
A ban on the sale of zombie-style knives in parts of the UK has been in effect since August 2016, before a more comprehensive ban was introduced in September 2024.
Sir Idris’s foundation joined forces with The Prince’s Trust in 2024 to support young people who want to get into creative careers.
The new project, titled Creative Futures, provides free courses to help build the skills and confidence needed to find a job, train or start a business in the creative industries.
The London-born actor was supported by The Prince’s Trust as a teenager and has continued to work closely with the charity during his career.
Dame Jayne and Sir Christopher, who took home the Olympic gold at the 1984 Winter Games and saw success at the World, European and British Championships, are made a Dame and Sir for services to ice skating and to voluntary service.
The pair, who later became the faces of celebrity competition show Dancing On Ice, said the honour is ‘wonderful and humbling at the same time’.
Sir Christopher, 67, said: ‘It’s been mentioned by fans and supporters, but it’s something that we never realised might happen.
‘If it did, that would be wonderful, but if it didn’t, there’s so many other people in the country that are deserving as well.’
Dame Jayne, 68, said the timing of the honours seemed ‘perfect’ after the pair danced on the ice for the last time this year.
They join other stars who rose to fame in notable partnerships, such as Paul Elliott, one half of the Chuckle Brothers, who is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), and Matt Lucas, half of the comedic Little Britain duo with David Walliams, who becomes an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Lucas has said he had to read a letter informing him he had been made a OBE ‘a couple of times’ as he thought it may be a prank.
Warwick Davis, 55, who is best known for his roles as Wicket the Ewok in the Star Wars franchise and Professor Filius Flitwick and goblin Griphook in the Harry Potter series, was honoured for his services to drama and charity.
It comes after he was given Bafta’s highest honour at its annual film awards, the Bafta Fellowship, for his performing and advocacy work in February.
On accepting his fellowship, Davis said: ‘This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ve been in Star Wars.’
He dedicated the award to his late wife Samantha, who was also an actress and died in March 2024, during an emotional tribute at the ceremony.
Davis co-founded the charity Little People UK in 2012 alongside Samantha to help individuals with dwarfism and their families.
The pair starred together in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, where Mrs Davis also played a goblin.
Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay, best known for playing the long-suffering Rovers Return landlady Shelley Unwin on the ITV soap, was recognised for her services to drama, while singer Ellie Goulding has been made a MBE for services to biodiversity and the climate.
Comedian and Strictly star Bill Bailey is also honoured as a MBE for his extensive services to entertainment.
England’s Lionesses feature heavily on the list after their Euros win in the summer – with captain Leah Williamson made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone, who were all part of the side that beat Spain in the final in Basel, Switzerland, in July, become MBEs.
Paula Radcliffe, a three-time London Marathon winner who held the women’s marathon world record for 16 years, is also made an OBE.
Elsewhere, The Kumars At No 42 actress Meera Syal, 64, becomes a Dame and broadcaster Gabby Logan and author Richard Osman receive OBEs.
Osman, 55, who writes The Thursday Murder Club book series, said he was ‘absolutely thrilled’ with the honour.
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo is made an MBE for services to music and drama, while football commentator Clive Tyldesley, known for his ‘Solskjaer has won it’ line as Manchester United claimed the 1999 Champions League, becomes an OBE for services to sports broadcasting and to charity.
Writer Roy Clarke, creator of sitcoms Last Of The Summer Wine, Open All Hours and Keeping Up Appearances, becomes a knight.
A woman thought to be the oldest victim of the Horizon IT scandal, 92-year-old Betty Brown, said it was a ‘shocker’ to have been made an OBE for seeking justice for subpostmasters.
D-Day veteran Mervyn Kersh, 101, said it is a ‘wonderful thing’ to be awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Holocaust remembrance and education.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘This year’s honours list celebrates the very best of Britain – people who put the common good ahead of themselves to strengthen communities and change lives.
‘Their quiet dedication speaks to the decent, compassionate country we are proud to be. On behalf of the whole nation, thank you – and congratulations to everyone recognised today.’
This year’s honours list includes 1,157 recipients, with 67% living outside London and the South East.
Half of all recipients at CBE level and above are women, marking the strongest representation since 2020, the Cabinet Office said.
Across the list, 10% come from ethnic minority backgrounds — including 5% Asian, 3% Black, 2% mixed and 1% other.
In addition, 5% identify as LGBT+, 15% report a disability or long-term health condition and 36% come from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The oldest on the list is 102-year-old John Hearn, one of four centenarians included, who receives a BEM for services to Judo and to the community in north-east England.
At 20, the youngest recipient this year is Olympic gold medal-winning sports climber Toby Roberts from Elstead in Surrey, who becomes an MBE.
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