New Year Honours: Famous people who have turned down honours - including Stephen Hawking and David Bowie

Some of Britain's most famous musicians, actors, and writers have turned down the UK's highest honours and the titles associated with them, for reasons ranging from the mysterious to the political.

The 2023 New Year Honours list has been released, with big names like Mary Earps, Michael Eavis, Tim Martin, Emilia Clarke, Ridley Scott, and Shirley Bassey given titles this year. However, it wasn't just film and music stars to be honoured, with people from across British society recognised for their contributions. This includes the likes of Ian Russell, father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life after viewing harmful material on social media, who was given an MBE for services to child safety online.

However, people also have the opportunity to turn down their honour - even if they have been nominated. Reasons have historically included seeking a different title (such as a knighthood), protesting political decisions or the UK government's actions, or even in objection to England's colonial history.

Here are some of the most well-known people to decline their nomination:

David Bowie

Glam rock superstar David Bowie had a resounding impact on the music world, and a career spanning over five successful decades. But the late Brixton-born legend has rejected not just one, but two honours nominations.

Bowie turned down a knighthood in 2003, after earlier declining to be made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) three years earlier. The BBC reports he said the title "just wasn't for me".

"I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that," he told the Sun at the time. "I seriously don't know what it's for. It's not what I spent my life working for."

John Lennon

Another legend of the musical world, Lennon was awarded an MBE - or Member of the Order of the British Empire - in 1965, alongside his fellow Beatles members. However, Lennon returned the award four years later.

The 'Imagine' artist even wrote a letter to the Queen, the BBC reports, which said: "I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts. With love. John Lennon of Bag."

Roald Dahl

Beloved children's author Roald Dahl, author of Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the BFG, remains a bestseller to this day. However, his anti-Semitic comments and a number of word choices that have aged less than well have attracted controversy in recent years.

Dahl turned down an OBE in 1986. There have long been reports he wanted a knighthood instead, although his official reason was never divulged.

Alfred Hitchcock

The famed film director behind classics like Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds declined a CBE in 1962. However, the "master of suspense" later accepted a knighthood for his services to film in 1979 - four months before his death.

Nigella Lawson

Popular TV chef and cookbook author Nigella Lawson turned down an OBE in 2001. The Evening Standard reports that she said: “I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.”

John Oliver

Comedian and US Last Week Tonight host John Oliver often makes the news himself, with whacky hi-jinks and campaigns like weighing in on New Zealand's Bird of the Century competition.

Oliver recently turned down an OBE in 2019, reportedly saying: "Why on earth would I want that?"

Benjamin Zephaniah

Acclaimed poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah sadly died aged 65 earlier this month. His work often focused on political causes, including refugees, institutional racism, and veganism. Zephaniah was also known to viewers of the hit BBC drama Peaky Blinders, appearing as the character of Jeremiah Jesus on the show.

In 2003, he rejected a CBE from Buckingham Palace, saying: "I get angry when I hear that word 'empire'; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers, brutalised."

Stephen Hawking

Physicist Stephen Hawking was often regarded as one of the most influential scientists in history, largely for his work on the Big Bang theory, and the origins of our universe. Hawking was famously diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as a young man, and gradually lost the ability to walk and speak. He lived more than 50 years with the disease, although many who are diagnosed with it have vastly reduced lifespans.

Hawking turned down a knighthood in the 1990s, reportedly saying he "does not like titles". However, The Telegraph reported it was in part due to to the UK government's "disastrous" science funding cuts at the time.

Alan Rickman

The late Alan Rickman, perhaps best known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, had a storied career on stage and in film. Rickman turned down a CBE in 2008, but his reasons were never made public.

C.S Lewis

The Belfast-born author and creator of Narnia has had a lasting legacy on the fantasy genre. The theologian, Oxford professor declined a CBE from Winston Churchill in 1951, reportedly to avoid association with any political issues.

John Cleese

Monty Python and Fawlty Towers comedian and actor John Cleese has turned down multiple honours nominations in his lifetime. He declined a CBE in 1996, declaring it was "silly", and later rejected a life peerage in 1999 - reportedly stating that he "did not wish to spend winters in England" and being a peer would be "ridiculous".