Actor Idris Elba is knighted in the New Year Honours. The 53-year old Hollywood star from Hackney, London can now officially be called Sir Idris.
Sir Idris, who rose to prominence for playing Stringer Bell in HBO series The Wire and DCI John Luther in BBC series Luther, more recently played the British Prime Minister and the President of the United States, in Heads of State and A House of Dynamite respectively, both of which came out in 2025. Elba is no stranger to the world of video games, either, having played Solomon Reed in the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, Phantom Liberty.
He was knighted for services to young people in recognition of his charity work at the Elba Hope Foundation, which supports community empowerment, education, youth advocacy, and sustainable development. In particular, Elba has been outspoken on knife crime. He said: “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.”
Meanwhile, the actor and comedian Meera Syal (The Kumars at No 42) is being awarded a Damehood for services to Literature, Drama and Charity, while the composer Max Richter is being awarded a CBE (Commanders of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to Music. Actor Warwick Davis is also being recognised for services to Drama and Charity with an OBE (Officers of the Order of the British Empire). Davis said: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me — and I’ve been in Star Wars.”
An MBE (Members of the Order of the British Empire) went to Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, and the author and television presenter Richard Osman (Thursday Murder Club) is being awarded an OBE for his services to literature and broadcasting.
1,157 recipients have been awarded from every part of the UK, with a particular focus this year on those who have gone above and beyond for their communities.
Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
