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.
Sir David Jason set for TV return in Only Fools and Horses documentary Christmas special
Danny Jones
In a surprise bit of festive news, the only and only Sir David Jason is returning for an Only Fools and Horses Christmas special this December. Lovely jubbly!
The best-loved and most-watched British comedy of all time will be back on our screens in documentary form this festive season, with Del Boy himself David Jason revisiting the iconic comedy character after 20 years he last played him on screen.
While the legendary sitcom was broadcast on BBC back in the day, the highly-anticipated Only Fools doc will be airing on Channel 5 right before Christmas as a special one-off programme.
Looking back on the show’s incredible run on UK screens over seven series and the several ‘Christmas Cracker’ specials, specifically, the latest Only Fools and Horses documentary will see Jason and a number of other guests appearing to chat about the legendary show.
The release date of the Only Fools special Christmas documentary is yet to be announced.
While it’s still unclear how many of the original cast will be appearing, Jason’s on-screen wife Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel) is confirmed to be appearing along with other special guests including newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Bendiorm‘s Sherrie Hewson.
Sadly, a full theatrical reunion just isn’t on the cards following the deaths of Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger), Kenneth MacDonald (Mike the Landlord) and Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert) in the 30 years since the show ended its run.
Only Fools writer John Sullivan also sadly passed away aged 64 in 2011 and fellow co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, a.k.a. Rodney Trotter, told Metro: “We can’t. John is no longer with us. John was the driving force of the show and we have also lost quite a few cast members now.
“I don’t think I could do it without them and I certainly couldn’t do it without John. At the risk of depressing everyone, I think the last two times I’ve seen David has been at funerals.”
Simply entitled, ‘The Story Of Only Fools And Horses At Christmas’, the 90-minute special is yet to have its broadcast date fully confirmed but you best keep your eyes peeled on the TV guide — we’ll let you know as soon we do.
Jason, 81, has only just recovered from hip surgery earlier this year, so it’ll be nice to see his familiar grin back on our screens.
Right, we’re off to binge a whole series on UK Gold.
The rumoured celebrity guest list at Chanel’s Manchester fashion show as first famous face arrives
Daisy Jackson
When a name as big as Chanel comes to Manchester, you can surely expect at least a few celebrity guests to come with it.
And sure enough, on the even of the Metiers D’Art fashion show, we’ve clocked our first A-lister in our hometown.
Actor Kristen Stewart has been spotted leaving The Stock Exchange Hotel, Gary Neville’s five-star establishment that also hosted Post Malone earlier this year.
The city’s luxury hotels have reportedly all been booked out for Chanel’s prestigious, invite-only fashion show, which will be taking over the Northern Quarter on Thursday 7 December.
So exactly who else is rumoured to be touching down in the city for the show?
The biggest name drop so far is Margot Robbie, Australian actress and star of this summer’s runaway box office hit Barbie.
Margot has famously been one of Chanel’s most recognisable ambassadors.
The brand’s other famous faces include fellow actor Timothee Chalamet, who is the ambassador for Bleu De Chanel, and also tipped to be visiting Manchester this week.
There are currently huge billboards plastered with his face all over the city centre.
Margot Robbie is a big name rumoured to attend the Manchester Chanel show. Credit: Wikiedia CommondsDavid and Victoria Beckham are rumoured to attend the Manchester Chanel show. Credit: InstagramKylie Jenner may make an appearance with her boyfriend, Chanel ambassador and actor Timothee ChalametNorthern lad Harry Styles is also hotly tipped to join the Chanel front row
These types of events usually attract some sort of Kardashian/Jenner member, and with Kylie Jenner currently dating Timothee, the young couple may make an appearance – though most will be holding their breath for big sister Kim.
Kendall Jenner is also on the rumoured celebrity guest list, as the supermodel has previously walked for Chanel.
Lily-Rose Depp seems a likely name to appear – the model, actor, and daughter of Johnny Depp was personally chosen by the late Karl Lagerfeld to be a Chanel ambassador.
Some of the most famous celebrities in the entire world have been in the UK for various events in the last week, including Beyonce and Jay-Z, and Taylor Swift. Will any of them extend their stay to come up north?
And then there are those with a local connection, like for Manchester United legend David Beckham, with high-fashion wife and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
Harry Styles could crop up too, with his roots just down the road in Holmes Chapel.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour seems the most likely of all to be sitting front row on Thomas Street tomorrow night.
Sacha Lord has already confirmed that he has received an invite, and Andy Burnham may well be given a seat too.
Emily Sergeant -
21st April 2023 
