Bernard Cribbins honoured with OBE

Bernard Cribbins, the voice of the Wombles, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2011.

The 82-year-old actor, who was rewarded for his services to drama, said he had never anticipated being recognised.

“You can’t go through life expecting to get prizes. You just get on with things, which is how it should be.

“It’s a great surprise. I’m completely gobsmacked really. My dad would have been absolutely delighted.”

However, he said there wouldn’t be any major celebrations at the moment. “I’m still recovering from a knee replacement and I’m on crutches.”

Aside from The Wombles, Bernard Cribbins is best known for his storytelling on Jackanory and his role as Perks, the station porter, in The Railway Children. More recently he’s been loved by old and new generations as Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who alongside David Tennant.

In 2009 he received a Special Award at the British Academy Children’s Awards, for his contribution to the film and television industry in a career spanning six decades.

In April this year, Bernard Cribbins recorded new audiobooks of The Wombles for Bloomsbury Publishing, the first of which is due to be released on 5 March 2012 - it’s available to pre-order from Amazon, although details are currently sparse. In the meantime, his 1976 Womble Stories album is now on CD.

The honours system

The Queen’s honours recognise outstanding achievement and service across the whole of the United Kingdom. Anyone can be nominated for an honour but only exceptional people receive one.

Besides the famous people given MBEs, OBEs, CBEs or knighthoods, the vast majority of the awards go to less well-known people who have made an extraordinary contribution to their community.

Honours lists are published twice a year, at New Year and in mid-June for the Queen’s official birthday.