There are some big stars on the latest New Year’s Honours list including a trio whose identities escaped immediate notice as they are being recognised under their own names and they’re not the ones everyone knows them by.
Meera Syal is made a Dame for services to literature, drama and charity. She’s one of Britain’s best known TV stars with leading roles in The Kumars at No. 42 and Goodness Gracious Me and has also appeared in Doctor Who, Holby City and Beautiful People. She has numerous film credits including Nativity Rocks and Paddington 2.
She’s listed under her real name of Feroza Syal although the Cabinet Office added the stage name she’s most recognised by as she headlined their New Year’s Honours reveal.
Meera Syal was made an MBE in 1997 and became CBE in 2015. She is now Dame Meera Syal in recognition of a career that began over 40 years ago when she wrote a play called One of Us about an Asian girl who wants to become an actress but has to run away to fulfil her dream.
She is also the author of critically acclaimed novels including Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee and the award winning Anita and Me. She is also the co-creator of Bollywood Dreams, the West End stage show, which she worked on with Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Dame Meera’s work with the Alzheimer’s Society is also well noted.
Another new Dame also appeared on the list under her real name. Jayne Christensen is made a DBE (the official terminology for the honour) but her citation may well have given away her better known identity. Dame Jayne is recognised for ‘services to ice skating’ which is the biggest clue to this honour going to the Torvill of the legendary ice skating duo, Torvill and Dean.
Again, the Cabinet Office added her better known name to the list as it announced the recognition. Jayne Torvill became one of the most successful ever Olympians in the earl 1980s when she claimed the ice dancing crown alongside Christopher Dean with a perfect score. He is made a knight in the latest New Year’s Honours.
Dame Jayne and Sir Christopher created one of the most famous ice dances ever with their performance to Ravel’s Bolero. They won Olympic gold with the routine which was watched by 23 million people in the UK. Among them was Queen Elizabeth II who sent them a personally signed telegram telling them she had seen them skate ”with great pleasure”.
(By Rach, CC BY 2.0, Wiki Commons)
Torvill and Dean had already won three world titles when they arrived in Sarajevo to attempt to claim Olympic gold. Their win there turned them into two of the most famous people in the UK and huge crowds turned out to see them on their return.
They turned professional and enjoyed successful careers before moving into TV where they spearheaded Dancing on Ice, which became a mainstay of weekend TV entertainment in the 2010s.
Also hidden on the list under their real name is one of Britain’s most popular comedians and musicians who gets a nod as Mark Robert Bailey although he’s better known by the first name of Bill.
Bill Bailey gets an MBE for services to entertainment with his citation outlining how extensive his career has been – he’s recognised as a musician, comedian, actor and presenter.
He was one of the best known faces on TV in the 2000s as a team captain on the popular music quiz, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and won a legion of fans as Manny in the TV sitcom, Black Books. He’s also a regular on shows including Have I Got News for You, which he also presents, and QI.
Bill Bailey MBE is also an acclaimed musician, playing over 60 different instruments. He led and starred in Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008 and recently returned to the famous venue to perform at the 2025 Last Night of the Proms.
(By Nick Webb – Bill Rocking Out, CC BY 2.0, Wiki Commons)
He became Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2020 when he won the title with Oti Mabuse. He’s also well known for his love of animals and support for wildlife and conservation as well as his charity work which has seen him raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for causes including Macmillan Cancer Support.
Slightly easier to spot, although her stage name doesn’t reflect her full real name, is Wicked star, Cynthia Erivo, who is made an MBE for services to drama.
(By Kevin Paul – Own work, CC BY 4.0, Wiki Commons)
She’s on the list as Cynthia Chinasaokwuo Echeumuna-Erivo and is noted as an actor, singer, producer and author. Her honour comes in a year that also saw her nominated for an Oscar as Best Actress for her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked. It was her second Academy Award nod after a nomination for Harriet which also saw her up for Best Song. She’s a nominee for Best Actress at the Golden Globes which take place in just a few days’ time for Wicked 2.
Other big names on the list cover the words of acting, music and sport. There’s a knighthood for Idris Elba for his charity work – Sir Idris is a prolific partner of King Charles III in supporting opportunities for young people as well as being one of the best known film and TV actors in the country.
Richard Osman, whose first Thursday Murder Club novel has just been made into a film, gets an OBE while singer Ellie Goulding is made an MBE for her work on biodiversity.
Sarina Weigman, the manager of the Lionesses who claimed a second Euros title in 2025, is made an honorary dame. Several of the winning players are also recognised with a CBE for Leah Williamson and an MBE for Ella Toone.
The Red Roses, who won the Rugby World Cup, also get nods. Star players, Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya, becomes MBEs.
Warwick Davis is made an OBE for services to drama and charity while there’s a knighthood for one of the most prolific TV writers of the last 50 years. The creator of hits including Last of the Summer Wine and Keeping Up Appearances is now Sir Roy Clarke.
Also on the list, under her full name of Gabrielle Nicole, is sports presenter Gabby Logan who is made OBE for services to broadcasting.
