Idris Elba has revealed he nearly missed the chance to become a Sir after the official letter asking if he would accept a knighthood was lost in a pile of post. The actor, best known for his role in The Wire, told the Graham Norton Show that the oversight almost cost him the honour.
“It’s a bit embarrassing,” Elba said. “I was sent a consideration letter asking whether I would or wouldn’t accept it, but I didn’t see it as it got lost in a pile of post.” He added that his agent informed him that failing to respond would mean the offer would pass him by. “By the time I found the letter I had only two days to decide.”
Elba’s knighthood, announced in the King’s 2026 New Year Honours, was awarded for his anti-knife crime work through the Elba Hope Foundation, which focuses on empowering young people and providing alternatives to violence. The 53-year-old said, “I got it for services to young people and I was thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, that’s great, but I’ve been acting for 30 years!’ It is actually a great honour, and my mum is so pleased.”
While he has not yet received the formal accolade—he noted, “I haven’t had the sword on the shoulder yet”—his wife, Sabrina, has already begun using her new title of Lady. “My wife is loving it,” Elba said.
Elba’s latest project, the second series of hostage thriller Hijack, premiered this week on Apple TV+, with the action moving from a plane to a train. He described it as “a good old-fashioned thriller.”
