The Stage

Knighthoods sparse for arts in honours list

Published Tuesday 15 June 2004 at 13:30 by David Cheshire

Knighthoods for services to entertainment were few and far between in this year’s Birthday Honours, although the industry was well represented in the other award sections.

Among those who did receive them are Willard White, who has just finished a run in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Royal Opera House and will be returning for The Greek Passion in September; the Right Honorable Gerald Kaufman MP, who is chairman of the select committee for culture, media and sport; and David Bell, chairman off the Financial Times Group whose ‘services to the arts’ include membership of the Board of the Royal National Theatre.

An apparent increase in the number of CBEs awarded to people connected to the entertainment industry included those to two college principals - Gavin Henderson of Trinity School of Music and many other arts and heritage organisations, including the National Piers Society, and Marion McNamara who, as principal of the Laban Centre for 30 years, oversaw its increase in prestige and its move to new premises in Deptford.

Another administrator, Val Bourne, has been involved with modern dance for nearly as long. She already has an OBE but she added a CBE for her work as artistic director of Dance Umbrella since 1978. The three actors in this section were John Hurt, Patricia Routledge and Bryan Forbes, the latter receiving his as president of National Youth Theatre.

Performance poet Roger McGough received his CBE for services to literature, while Phil Redmond was awarded his for services to drama - among his TV successes are Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks. He is professor of media at Liverpool John Moores University.

Television connections were responsible for the award of OBEs to Ruth Caleb of the BBC, Margaret Fay formerly of Tyne Tees Television, John Whiteley of Channel 4 and Angela Rippon. The ever-expanding home entertainment sector was represented by Lavina Caret, who received an OBE for chairing the British Video Association.

Barry Clayman, David Wood and Alison Chitty received OBEs respectively for services to entertainment and charity, drama and literature and drama - although stage design would be more accurate. Rita Thomas received an OBE for chairing the English Amateur DanceSport Association.

But headliners in this section were Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett, whose final farewell performances as part of The Shadows was, by coincidence, at the London Palladium on Monday. Both were described as musicians and songwriters but Bennett also received his accolade as a composer for film and TV - his 40-plus soundtracks include those for Ruth Rendell Mysteries and BBC’s Murder in Mind.

Another performance poet, Pam Ayres, won an MBE, as did the proprietor of One Man Theatre Douglas Barnes and make-up, hair and prosthetics artist Dorka Nieradziki.

Actor and director of the Amersham Martyrs community play, Stan Pretty, also received an MBE, as did comedian and after-dinner speaker Bob ‘the Cat’ Bevan. MBEs also went to Michael Fish for his weather forecasting and Bill Frindall for his recording of cricket statistics.