Hurt's delight at palace honour
A delighted John Hurt collected his CBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace today, describing it as a "one-off" experience.
The star has appeared in more than 60 films including The Elephant Man Midnight Express and the classic A Man for All Seasons .
On collecting his award for services to drama, he said: "I've never done it before. It's a one-off. It's like a very high compliment. I'm very grateful and delighted."
The Queen did not refer to Hurt's role in the 1979 sci-fi hit movie Alien where a creature bursts out of his chest, nor his part as the outrageous Quentin Crisp in the 1970s TV drama The Naked Civil Servant which led to him becoming a household name.
Hurt described his role as Crisp as his favourite so far saying it changed people's perceptions of him.
"That did it for me. It was a fantastic script," he said.
The actor kept his cool for the date at the Palace, adding: "Oh there's nothing to be nervous about. I get nervous on a first night but you haven't got anything to prove here.
British television's first woman newsreader, Angela Rippon, collected her OBE at the Palace.
Famed for her high-kicking dance routine in a Morecambe and Wise Christmas special, Rippon has had a varied career and is being honoured for her services to broadcasting, the arts and to charity.
Born in Plymouth, Devon, she worked her way up her local newspaper before making her first television broadcast at the age of 21, for BBC Plymouth in 1966.
She produced and directed programmes, as well as presenting. Her numerous roles included hosting Come Dancing, the Antiques Roadshow and BBC1's Watchdog Healthcheck.
