Stephen Graham has been awarded an OBE, and has dedicated it to all the kids who dream of a career in the arts but are told to “get a proper job”.
With an entertainment career spanning more than two decades, Stephen Graham has gone on to become one of the most celebrated and well-loved actors working in the British film and television industry today.
And now his talents have been recognised with one of the country’s most prestigious honours.
The Kirkby-born actor was made an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours list for his services to drama, and was presented with the award by the Princess Royal during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
The 47-year-old took to social media after the ceremony to share a couple of pictures of him holding his OBE medal, while also making sure to dedicate the award to those he loved.
“For you mum… And to all those kids that are told to “get a proper job”, this is for you too,” he wrote in on both Twitter and Instagram.
Graham dedicated the honour to his mother, who he announced at the end of 2022 had passed away.
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As well as making sure to dedicate it to his late mother, he also took a moment to offer some words of encouragement to any children who are hoping to one day go into acting or have a career in the performing arts industry – adding that his OBE is also for “any kid that’s ever been told to ‘get a proper job’.”
Being from Merseyside, and getting his start in the Liverpool Everyman Youth Theatre at aged 14, before attending drama school at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance in London, it’s likely that Graham had that discouraging phrase said to him a couple of times.
Stephen Graham dedicates OBE to all the kids that are told to ‘get a proper job’ / Credit: Channel 4 | ITV
First appearing on screens back in 1990, Stephen Graham now has over 100 acting credits to his name.
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Leading and prominent roles in films such as This Is England, Gangs of New York, Snatch, and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as TV series like Boardwalk Empire, Band of Brothers, Taboo, and Coronation Street helped make him a household name.
Some of Graham’s most recent acting credits include Yardie, Rocketman, Boiling Point, The Irishman, Peaky Blinders, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Matilda the Musical.
He has also been nominated for and scooped several acting awards throughout his career.
Graham’s leading role in Channel 4’s drama film, Help, alongside fellow Liverpudlian actor Jodie Comer saw him garner critical acclaim and win ‘Best Actor’ awards from several organisations.
Ofcom reveals top 10 most complained-about moments on TV in 2025 after ‘busy’ year
Emily Sergeant
It’s that time of year once again… Ofcom has revealed what the top 10 most complained-about moments were on TV last year.
In what has become an annual tradition we all wait for with baited breath, the UK’s official communications regulator – which receives and deals with tens of thousands of complaints all throughout the year – has taken a look back at the previous year and pulled together a top 10 list of what the most complained-about TV moments were.
This year, it’s no surprise to see the usual offenders like Love Island, Good Morning Britain, and Big Brother make the cut – but which claimed the top spot for 2025?
Ofcom admitted 2025 was a ‘busy year’ for its team, received almost 50,000 complaints about more than 8,000 TV, radio, and on-demand programmes.
The regulator says this is a ‘clear sign’ that audiences care deeply about what they watch and listen to.
“Every single complaint matters,” Ofcom said in a statement as the top 10 list was revealed. “We carefully review each and every one, ensuring that all broadcasters are held to the same high standards that UK viewers and listeners expect.”
In what is a landslide, but unfortunate, victory for Love Island, the hugely popular ITV reality show actually claimed the top three places on this year’s most-complained about list, racking up a whopping 8,058 complaints in total and the majority of those relating to alleged bullying behaviour towards contestant Shakira.
The top five was rounded out by Channel 5’s Vanessa show, which related to a discussion on breastfeeding and its benefits, and GB News’ Headliners section, which objected to a presenter’s comment which they believed linked the LGBTQ+ community to paedophiles.
Top 10 most complained-about TV moments of 2025
Love Island – ITV2, 24 July 2025 – 3,547 complaints
Love Island – ITV2, 22 July 2025 – 2,509 complaints
Love Island – ITV2, 23 July 2025 – 2,002 complaints
Vanessa – Channel 5, 10 June 2025 – 1,866 complaints
Headliners – GB News, 22 January 2025 – 1,391 complaints
Today with Samantha Washington – Sky News, 7 June 2025 – 1,302 complaints
Love Island – ITV2, 25 July 2025 – 1,296 complaints
Love Island: All Stars – ITV2, 12 February 2025 – 1,240 complaints
Celebrity Big Brother – ITV2, 9 April 2025 – 1,008 complaints
The BRIT Awards 2025 – ITV1, 1 March 2025 – 938 complaints
Love Island, and it’s accompanying Love Island: All Stars series – which actually begins airing its third series next Monday (12 January 2026) – claimed another three spots in the top 10, again all relating to alleged bullying behaviour.
Celebrity Big Brother also features, with complaints relating to comments made by Mickey Rourke to JoJo Siwa.
Finally, The BRIT Awards 2025 closes out the top 10, with complaints relating to a number of issues – including Sabrina Carpenter’s opening dance routine, and to Charli XCX’s outfit.
It is always worth noting, however, that this top 10 list figures don’t include complaints about programmes on the BBC, as under the BBC Charter, these are handled by the BBC in the first instance as part of the ‘BBC first process’.
Featured Image – Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
TV & Showbiz
The Traitors set to air its ‘most explosive’ episode of all time after secret traitor reveal
Emily Sergeant
The Traitors is reportedly set to air its ‘most explosive’ episode of all time this evening.
After last night’s episode (7 January) saw the ‘secret traitor’ revealed to the public, in what was a major twist for this series, fans of the massively popular BBC reality competition show will be able to tune tonight to see fireworks between contestants as tensions boil over, the Daily Star has revealed in a exclusive report.
Close sources to the show have apparently warned that the scenes set to air tonight are ‘shocking’ and ‘unlike anything seen before’ on the show.
The Daily Star’s insider has called the episode ‘very dramatic indeed’.
“It all kicks off,” the source added. “The game is in full flow and the pressure is getting to everyone. During filming, producers were quite shocked by it all.
Fiona was revealed as the ‘secret traitor’ on last night’s (7 January) episode / Credit: BBC
“Many fans will remember the explosive breakfast in the show’s first series. Well, this episode makes that look like child’s play.”
Previously, the show hit record viewing figures at the start of this year, with an average of 6.4 million people tuning in to the first episode on New Year’s Day, but overall, it’s hard to deny that The Traitors has cemented itself as one of the biggest shows on air at the moment.
Producers are reportedly hoping, however, that tonight’s (8 January) episode will cement the show’s status as one of the best reality shows in TV history.
Emily Sergeant -
21st April 2023 
