As part of the UK’s New Year Honors, actor Idris Elba will receive a knighthood from King Charles, while actress Cynthia Erivo is set to become an MBE.
The list is out for the 2026 New Year Honors in the UK, and Idris Elba is being recognized for his charity work together with his wife for the Elba Hope Foundation. The actor has had another busy year, where he has, ironically, played two major politicians – the US President and the British Prime Minister in his movies, House of Dynamite and Heads of State. However, the actor is being recognized for his anti-knife crime campaign and his foundation.
Meanwhile, British actress Cynthia Erivo has been appointed an MBE (Member of the British Empire). The actress, who has starred in the Stephen King series, The Outsider, Wicked and Wicked: For Good, said this was “an honor I could never have thought would happen.”
Other recipients of MBEs include Tina McFarling, former head of strategic communications at the British Film Institute. Meanwhile, David Gurney, former film laboratory lead at the BFI National Archive. Both stepped down from their positions in the summer of 2025.
As noted by Bloomberg, an OBE (Order of the British Empire) also went to Richard Osman, Thursday Murder Club author and TV Host, and Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas. Another OBE went to Roy Clarke, writer of Last of the Summer Wine, actor Sally Lindsay, children’s TV star Paul Chuckle, comedian Bill Bailey and Warwick Davis.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me — and I’ve been in Star Wars,” said Davis of his impressive honor.
Another award was given to Meera Syai, a comedian, writer and actor known for the TV show, The Kumars at No 42, who has now become a dame for services to literature, drama and charity.
Meanwhile, several politicians, athletes and campaigners were also honored in the annual New Year list, which included singers Eve Graham and Ellie Goulding, reality TV presenter Phil Spencer, TV chef, Marcus Wareing, sports presenter Gabby Logan and soccer commentator Clive Tyldesley.
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Getting back to Idris Elba, his knighthood wasn’t the only recent award that he received. He paid a visit to Madame Tussauds to visit his lifelike wax model and had plenty of fun posing for the camera when it was made public on December 19. The model is so accurate that some commenters noted on social media that you couldn’t tell them apart, until the real Idris moved.
The model is dressed in the striking outfit first worn when Elba met King Charles III in July 2024, at an event related to tackling youth violent crime, a cause close to the actor’s heart. During their meeting, Elba and the King discussed the work of the King’s Trust and the Elba Hope Foundation, both of which empower and support young people across the UK.
The brand-new wax figure celebrates the award-winning actor, musician and activist, who joins its world-famous lineup. Elba’s OBE is joined by his win in the BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Awards, plus he also holds an Emmy nomination. This places the UK actor among Hollywood’s elite.
