King’s Birthday Honours List 2023: Davina McCall, Ken Bruce & Dame Anna Wintour among those recognised

Broadcasters Davina McCall and Ken Bruce as well as ex-footballer Ian Wright are among more than 1,500 public figures who have been recognised in the King’s first Birthday Honours List. Wright, who played for Arsenal and England before becoming a TV pundit, has received an OBE while Bruce and McCall have been made MBEs.

Meanwhile former hostage Terry Waite received a knighthood, as did novelists Ben Okri and the late Martin Amis, who died earlier this year. Exeter Labour MP Ben Bradshaw was also knighted alongside director Stephen Frears who is known for directing The Queen.

Calendar Girls actress Celia Imrie and Kenneth Cranham who starred in Shine on Harvey Moon have been made CBEs and Line of Duty’s Vicky McClure was made an MBE. Vogue’s Dame Anna Wintour and author Sir Ian McEwan have both joined the Companions of Honour.

The list recognises famous faces as well as people who have helped Ukranian refugees and been involved in events following the Queen’s death in 2022. It’s the first from King Charles for his official birthday in June, which is seperate from the monarch’s actual birthday in November.

There are 1,171 people on this year’s list. It is split almost evenly between 585 men and 586 women. The Cabinet Office said that 52% are people who have been recognised for work in their communities and 11% come from an ethnic minority background.

The oldest recipient in this year’s list is 106-year-old Joan Willett - she received a British Empire Medal for fundraising for the British Heart Foundation. The youngest is Junior Jay Frood, 18-year-old anti-bullying campaigner from Birkenhead who has received a BEM for services to vulnerable children.

King’s Birthday Honours List - some of the most famous recepients

Davina McCall

Davina McCall is a TV presenter who rose to fame when she presented Big Brother during its Channel 4 run between 2000 and 2010. Since then she has hosted multiple shows, released fitness programmes and became the face of cosmetics brand Garnier. She received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to Broadcasting.

Ian Wright

Ian Wright is a TV pundit and former professional footballer. He played for Crystal Palace and Arsenal, with which he lifted the Premier League title and the European Cup Winners cup. Since retiring he has been active in the media in football-related TV and radio shows. His MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) was upgraded to an OBE for services to football and charity.

Ken Bruce

Ken Bruce is a broadcaster who is best known for hosting his long-running weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 1986 to 1990, and then again from 1992 to 2023. His son, Murray, has autism. Bruce was given an MBE for services to radio, autism awareness and charity.

Dame Anna Wintour

Dame Anna Wintour is a media executive based in New York City who has served as editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988 and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020. She received a damehood in 2017 and joined the elite Companions of Honour in this year’s Birthday Honours list.

The full Birthday’s Honours List can be viewed on the Gov.uk website.