Eddie Marsan dedicates his OBE to his east London community who all ‘stepped up’

Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible and V For Vendetta actor Eddie Marsan has said he owes everything to his community and wants to share his OBE with them.

Marsan, 56, who recently played Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch in the film Back To Black, was made an OBE for his services to drama at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

The son of a lorry driver and a school dinner lady, the actor was raised on a council estate in Bethnal Green, east London.

When he heard he was on the New Year Honours list, Marsan said he wanted to share his OBE with Bethnal Green and his family.

After the ceremony he said: “When I was younger, my parents had a difficult marriage, but the members of my community, the members of the St Lucian community in Bethnal Green and an East End bookmaker who paid for me to go to drama school, they all kind of stepped up and I owe everything to them really.

“If I look at where I am now it is because of the kindness and support of the community of Bethnal Green really.”

He added the Princess Royal was “very supportive” and had a great sense of humour.

He went on to refer to multiple upcoming films, along with a TV series called King And Conqueror and another called Lockerbie.

Meanwhile, Inspector Morse and Lewis actor Kevin Whately, 74, happily explained he had “nothing to flog” while enjoying his day at the ceremony.

The actor first rose to fame playing Neville in the 1980s comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet before taking a career defining role as John Thaw’s right hand man in Inspector Morse.

Whately was made OBE for services to drama and charity, and said he is happily retired.

He said: “I was never very ambitious and I’m really enjoying not doing very much.

“I don’t miss getting up at five o’clock in the morning, I can do it occasionally but not every day which is what we used to do.”

Whately added that he and Anne had spoken about retirement during the ceremony.

He said: “I met the Princess Royal before worked for one of her animal charities, but not for a long time, but we’re of a similar age so we had a little bit to talk about.”

Organisations he has supported include Action For Children and the performing arts charity, the Wavendon Foundation, which helps budding actors and singers through drama school and conservatoires.