'I thought it might have been an administrative error'.

Frank Skinner has been made an MBE in the New Year Honour’s list.

The comic was awarded the accolade for his services to entertainment under his real name of Christopher Collins.

The 65-year-old said: ‘I deal mainly in laughs and applause and they disappear into the air quite quickly. So getting a proper medal that you can hold on to and polish regularly feels [as if it] has given my career a sense of permanence that I like.’

He also told the PA news agency that he hadn’t told anyone about the honour ‘even those closest to me, because I still thought there might be some sort of administrative error.

‘I grew up in a council house and all that, and my mum and dad who are no longer with us would have been absolutely over the moon about this whole thing.’

This year Skinner was the subject of a South Bank Show retrospective about his career, while Three Lions – the football anthem he wrote with David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds was given new lyrics for the Qatar World Cup, including acknowledging England's success in the women's game. 

Countdown's Rachel Riley, also in charge of the numbers on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Do Countdown, was awarded an MBE i  for work combatting antisemitism, after being a vocal critic of Labour's record on the issue.

Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts and Entertainment, was awarded an OBE for service to the arts and television. He said: 'It’s a particular kind of honour to be recognised for doing something you love. I am privileged to be able to collaborate with incredible artist talents across the spectrum of the arts alongside our brilliant team at Sky.'

And theatre producer Sonia Freedman was also made an OBE.

Published: 30 Dec 2022