Course they do but no-one outside of Kettering cares about Doris the dinnerlady who does the Waendel Walk for charity.

I read 70% go to charities and non-celebs, and around half are women this year. As pleased as I am for Palin and Pullman, I was delighted to hear the divers who saved the Thai boys from the cave all got recognition.

:hee:

if you're a moderately successful actor and live long enough you're bound to get it, that's not right
also someone should highlight and scrutinize those selected for political reasons
just for transparency's sake

and some names of those gongs should be changed, british empire is gone so

Not really. Otherwise there wouldn't be a series of very successful actors who don't have it/never got it.

The ones that do get it tend to have done a little bit more than that to get the recognition.

Palin to North Korea documentary you mean :bored:

I particularly agree with this. While I worked for the Tories I met lots of people who'd worked for John Major, Cameron, Heseltine, Maggie... and anyone who ever works for a cabinet member gets a gong, it seems. It's ridiculous. Type a bunch of letters, do a bit of admin, get well-paid and great perks... and get an MBE thrown in!

don't forget some of them refuse for political or personal reasons so it's hard to judge
E.g. Helen Mirren said she'd been first offered damehood years before she actually changed her mind and accepted
Wouldn't be surprised if JK Rowling has been offered and declined

I know I exeggarated the argument but still, that's the impression I get sometimes

JK Rowling has accepted one a few years back. :skull:

she did? well, I stand corrected, wrong example :hee:

Pole to Pole, Around the World in 80 Days, Full Circle... not to mention all his other stuff. His documentary on WW1 was particularly brilliant.

if you don't think he deserves this, Nicky, you probably don't know enough a about him.

"On 12th December 2017, J.K. Rowling was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, for her services to literature and philanthropy. She accepted the esteemed award from the Duke of Cambridge during an investiture at Buckingham Palace"

From her own website.

Queen of Orphans!

Her charity Lumos is brilliant, for that and Harry Potter she should be a Dame

I like Palin. Well deserved.