Comedian Bill Bailey, broadcaster Richard Osman, and celebrity chef Marcus Wareing are among the stars due to receive honours at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. The Princess Royal will present the awards to 67 individuals in a ceremony recognising contributions to entertainment, literature, broadcasting, and the culinary arts.
Bill Bailey Receives MBE
Bill Bailey, whose real name is Mark Bailey, was made an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to entertainment. The 61-year-old musician and comedian first gained prominence in 1995 when his show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam, broadcast on Channel 4, won the Edinburgh Festival Critics Award. He later secured his own BBC comedy series, Is It Bill Bailey?, in 1998 and became a regular panelist on shows such as Have I Got News for You and QI. In 2020, Bailey became the oldest winner of Strictly Come Dancing, lifting the glitterball trophy at age 55 alongside professional dancer Oti Mabuse.
Richard Osman Awarded OBE
Former Pointless presenter Richard Osman was made an OBE for services to literature and broadcasting. The 55-year-old ventured into crime fiction with the release of the first Thursday Murder Club novel in 2020. The series, comprising six books, follows a group of pensioners-turned-sleuths in a Kent retirement village who investigate cold cases and solve murders. Last year, a film adaptation starring Pierce Brosnan and Dame Helen Mirren was released on Netflix. Osman's honour comes as actor Michael Sheen prepares to succeed him as presenter of BBC Two's House Of Games.
Marcus Wareing Honoured with MBE
Restaurateur and long-standing MasterChef: The Professionals judge Marcus Wareing was made an MBE for services to the culinary arts and broadcasting. The 55-year-old, from Southport, began his culinary career at age 18, moving to London to work at The Savoy. The Michelin-starred chef established several London restaurants, including Marcus at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge, which closed in 2023. In 2006, Wareing served a custard tart to the late Queen Elizabeth II at a lunch celebrating her 80th birthday.
Olympic Champion Toby Roberts Also Honoured
Among the other recipients is Olympic climbing champion Toby Roberts, aged 21, who has been made an MBE. Roberts secured Team GB's first Olympic climbing title, winning gold in the boulder and lead event at Paris 2024.
