Gary Barlow made OBE in Queen's birthday honours
Gary Barlow has revealed he is "absolutely thrilled" after being made an OBE in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours List. The X Factor judge received the accolade after organising the Diamond Jubilee concert which featured artists from six decades of music, including Sir Elton John, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones and Cliff Richard. His official Jubilee anthem Sing, featuring vocalists from the Commonwealth, is also currently number one in the singles chart while the accompanying album is top of the album chart. "I'm absolutely thrilled and very privileged to be in the company of so many brilliant people who I know have received an OBE," Gary said. "Growing up I never dreamed that one day I'd be getting one myself. I enjoy every minute of the work I do, with a lot of it being a reward in itself, so for somebody to decide I should get recognised for that is just amazing." A number of other TV stars have also been recognised in the list, including Gareth Malone, who has been made an OBE following his work with the Military Wives Choir. The singers, who appeared on a BBC documentary last year, went on to score the Christmas number one with Wherever You Are, amd also appeared at the Jubilee gig. "Over the past 10 years, encouraging people to sing has been a labour of love so it's wonderful to be recognised in this way," Malone said. "I am hugely grateful to all the people I have worked with in both television and the arts for helping me to bring music into people's lives." Meanwhile Call The Midwife star Jenny Agutter has been made a OBE, while New Tricks' Amanda Redman becomes an MBE and Casualty actor Kwame Kwei-Armah has received an OBE, as has Upstairs Downstairs veteran Jean Marsh. There was also an OBE for The Thick Of It's writer Armando Ianucci, while TV veteran Richard Stilgoe - known for his appearances on such shows as Countdown - has been knighted. There was also a knighthood for actor Kenneth Branagh - who starred in the British version of the TV hit Wallander as well as numerous films - and a CBE for Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.