Angela Rippon who presented the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977, has been made an OBE(Officer British Empire) in the Queens' Birthday Honours, for services to broadcasting. She is best known for being the first woman newsreader on the BBC national news in 1975, and shot further to fame a year later when she guest starred on the The Morecambe and Wise Show performing a dance routine, before being invited to present the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest.
The honours are generally announced twice a year, as the New Years' Honours List and the Queens Birthday Honours List. Although done in the name of The Queen, it is actually on the advice of the Prime Minister of the day who draws up the list of recipients, with a few exceptions that Her Majesty can bestow.
The Order of the British empire was created by George V in 1917, during World War One, to reward services to the war effort by civilians and servicemen at home. Today it is mainly now to reward civilians and service personnel for public service. There are various categories, apart from the OBE there is the CBE (Commander British Empire).
Other Eurovision Song Contest personalities who have been honoured in the past include Cliff Richard, who twice sang for the United Kingdom in 1968 and 1973, who was made an OBE in 1980 and knight in 1995, and is therefore Sir Cliff Richard. While veteran commentator and co presenter of the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, Terry Wogan, was awarded an honorary OBE in 1997. As he is actually Irish, Terry Wogan only received an honorary award and as such is not technically allowed to use the letters OBE after his name!
