LONDON: Scientists and medical chiefs who have led Britain’s response to the pandemic were awarded knighthoods Friday in the country’s annual New Year Honors List, which recognized the achievements of hundreds of people from James Bond star Daniel Craig to teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu.
Queen Elizabeth II also made former Prime Minister Tony Blair a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British order of chivalry.
In another year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, officials said almost one in five of the honors were for coronavirus-related service. Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s chief and deputy medical officers, were awarded knighthoods. Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, and June Raine, chief executive of Britain’s medicines regulatory body, were made dames.
In total, the Honors List recognized more than 1,200 people in the UK this year, including scientists, actors, politicians, Olympic athletes and people who worked to raise funds for charities.
Craig, who made his final outing as 007 in the blockbuster “No Time to Die,” was made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George — the same honor given to the fictional Bond — for his services to film and theater.
The title is often given to diplomats, and Bond was described as holding it in the film franchise and the books by Ian Fleming.
Elsewhere in entertainment, veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave is to be made a dame, while former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, known as Mel B, was recognized for her work with domestic violence charity Women’s Aid.
In sport, 19-year-old US Open champion Raducanu becomes an MBE, or a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
“This year has been full of amazing surprises for me so to end 2021 with this appointment is very special,” Raducanu said.
Other athletes who were awarded included Olympic champion cyclists Jason Kenny and his wife Laura, diver Tom Daley and swimmer Adam Peaty.
British monarchs have awarded honors as part of orders of chivalry since the Middle Ages. In modern times, nominations are submitted to the government’s Cabinet Office and vetted by a committee before being passed on to the prime minister and the queen for approval.
The knighthood given to Blair, who served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007, was separate from the main list because it was decided by the queen and made without government advice.
The queen also appointed two others to the Order of the Garter: Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Baroness Valerie Amos, a Labour member of the House of Lords, who will become the first black person to be appointed to the order.
Arise, Sir Tony — Former PM Blair, Daniel Craig join scientists on UK Honors List
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Arise, Sir Tony — Former PM Blair, Daniel Craig join scientists on UK Honors List
- Blair's selection separate from the main list because it was decided by the Queen and made without government advice.
- British monarchs have awarded honors as part of orders of chivalry since the Middle Ages
Review: ‘Sorry, Baby’ by Eva Victor
- Victor makes a deliberate narrative choice; we never witness the violence of what happens to her character
There is a bravery in “Sorry, Baby” that comes not from what the film shows, but from what it withholds.
Written, directed by, and starring Eva Victor, it is one of the most talked-about indie films of the year, winning the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance and gathering momentum with nominations, including nods at the Golden Globes and Gotham Awards.
The film is both incisive and tender in its exploration of trauma, friendship, and the long, winding road toward healing. It follows Agnes, a young professor of literature trying to pick up the pieces after a disturbing incident in grad school.
Victor makes a deliberate narrative choice; we never witness the violence of what happens to her character. The story centers on Agnes’ perspective in her own words, even as she struggles to name it at various points in the film.
There is a generosity to Victor’s storytelling and a refusal to reduce the narrative to trauma alone. Instead we witness the breadth of human experience, from heartbreak and loneliness to joy and the sustaining power of friendship. These themes are supported by dialogue and camerawork that incorporates silences and stillness as much as the power of words and movement.
The film captures the messy, beautiful ways people care for one another. Supporting performances — particularly by “Mickey 17” actor Naomi Ackie who plays the best friend Lydia — and encounters with strangers and a kitten, reinforce the story’s celebration of solidarity and community.
“Sorry, Baby” reminds us that human resilience is rarely entirely solitary; it is nurtured through acts of care, intimacy and tenderness.
A pivotal scene between Agnes and her friend’s newborn inspires the film’s title. A single, reassuring line gently speaks a pure and simple truth: “I know you’re scared … but you’re OK.”
It is a reminder that in the end, no matter how dark life gets, it goes on, and so does the human capacity to love.
