Sir Celeb? British Parliamentarians Call for Fewer Hollywood Honorees

Some British officials think there are too many stars in the knight sky

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Kenneth Branagh performs during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012 in London, England.

Just a little more than two months after the release of the latest list of Brits due to receive “honours” from the Queen, the BBC reports that the Parliament’s Public Administration Select Committee is unhappy that the roster reads too much like a call sheet from a Merchant-Ivory film.

They’d like to see more ordinary Brits and fewer government officials, businessmen and celebs like this year’s big names, Kate Winslet (who received an Order of the British Empire award) and Kenneth Branagh (knighthood, also recognizing his community service in Northern Ireland). The BBC adds that only 28% of the people on this year’s list were not noted for their volunteer work but that, while there is no push to eliminate stars from the list, the committee wishes to prioritize service over fame.

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This isn’t the first recent kerfuffle over the honours list: following British success at this year’s Olympics, the government had to reassure citizens that there was no quota on how many medalists could receive honours in the next go-round of announcements, which will come at the end of the year. But just because fewer celebrities may receive such honours in the future, that doesn’t mean those athletes will be affected: at the heart of the parliamentary inquiry is a desire for more transparency in the decision process, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which could mean more emphasis on citizen contributions.

The list—which includes knighthoods, insignia of Order of chivalry and other awards for gallantry—has not been determined by the Queen since more than a century ago; instead, there’s an open nomination process.

That’s right: although three quarters of nominations come from government departments, according to the BBC, anyone can put an extraordinary Briton forward as a potential knight. If you are British and disagree with Parliament because you think Sirs One Direction has a certain ring to it, here’s where you get the forms.

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