Misplaced Pages

Colin Dexter

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#708291

105-462: Norman Colin Dexter OBE (29 September 1930 – 21 March 2017) was an English crime writer known for his Inspector Morse series of novels, which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as an ITV television series, Inspector Morse , from 1987 to 2000. His characters have spawned a sequel series, Lewis , from 2006 to 2015, and a prequel series, Endeavour , from 2012 to 2023. Dexter

210-618: A motif based on the Morse code for Morse's name. Dexter received several Crime Writers' Association awards: two Silver Daggers for Service of All the Dead in 1979 and The Dead of Jericho in 1981; two Gold Daggers for The Wench is Dead in 1989 and The Way Through the Woods in 1992; and a Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement in 1997. In 1996, Dexter received a Macavity Award for his short story "Evans Tries an O-Level". In 1980, he

315-518: A Train at London 's Gielgud Theatre . On 9 May 2015, he read a letter written by a soldier three days prior to his death in the Second World War, as part of VE Day 70: A Party to Remember , an anniversary concert for VE Day . Fox released his debut album Holding Patterns as a singer/ songwriter in 2016 through his own label Fox Cub Records. His second album A Grief Observed was released in 2019. Holding Patterns peaked at number 89 in

420-676: A Whore in 2005. Between 2006 and 2007 he starred in Treats by Christopher Hampton with his future wife, Billie Piper . In April 2007, Fox received a police caution after he was arrested for assault when he punched a photographer outside the Garrick Theatre in London where he was performing in Treats . The caution remained on his record for three years. In 2013, Fox played Guy Haines in Strangers on

525-590: A boys' grammar school , where a younger contemporary was England cricket captain and England rugby player M. J. K. Smith . After leaving school, Dexter completed his national service with the Royal Corps of Signals and then read classics at Christ's College, Cambridge , graduating in 1953 and receiving a master's degree in 1958. In 1954, Dexter began his teaching career as assistant Classics master at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester . There he helped

630-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to

735-449: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and

840-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,

945-637: A daughter, Sally, and a son, Jeremy. On 21 March 2017 Dexter's publisher, Macmillan , said in a statement "With immense sadness, Macmillan announces the death of Colin Dexter who died peacefully at his home in Oxford this morning". Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to

1050-525: A full trial. In April 2022, Fox requested a jury trial and said that "a judge could show involuntary bias", the first such request since the Defamation Act 2013 . It was refused. Court documents revealed that this request cost Fox legal fees of more than £116,000. Later that month the High Court ruled that Fox must pay more than £36,000 in legal fees to Blake, Seymour and Thorp. The trial progressed at

1155-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on

SECTION 10

#1732844166709

1260-541: A lesson in calling people something which they are not. In April 2021, Crystal and Blake lodged a claim for defamation in the High Court and were joined in the legal action by actress Nicola Thorp , whom Fox also called a paedophile. In response, Fox filed a countersuit over the accusations of racism. In December 2021, judge Barbara Fontaine urged the protagonists to reach a compromise; Fox's lawyers had estimated his legal costs would be between £360,000 and £500,000 for

1365-644: A look at". As a result, Fox was cast in the ITV detective drama Lewis as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway , who becomes the partner of Detective Inspector Robert Lewis , played by Whately. The pilot of this spin-off from Inspector Morse (1987–2000) was ITV's highest-rated drama of 2006. Fox has also portrayed Prince Charles , in Whatever Love Means (2005); Wisley, one of Jane Austen 's suitors, in Becoming Jane (2007); and Sir Christopher Hatton ,

1470-474: A man who called him a "racist" on social media. Fox sued Mukhtar Ali Yassin for libel over a row on X (formerly known as Twitter ) over four tweets sent during the exchange in May 2023. Ben Gallop, representing Fox, told the court that Yassin had made "seriously defamatory allegations of racism against my client that are bare comments". Judge Mrs Justice Collins Rice ruled that a hearing should take place to decide whether

1575-691: A national lockdown in March 2021, Fox participated in an anti-lockdown protest . Appearing as a panellist on the BBC's political debate programme Question Time in January 2020, Fox said that Meghan Markle was not a victim of racism and described an audience member who called him a "white privileged male" as racist. The British actors' union Equity called him "a disgrace to our industry" for his views, but withdrew its criticism and apologised two months later. In January 2020, Fox attracted media attention for stating that

1680-714: A place at any university due to a report about him from Harrow. After working as a gardener and in an office, he decided to follow his family into acting, and successfully auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). During his time there, he appeared in numerous student productions, including the lead roles of Gregers Werle in Ibsen 's The Wild Duck , Marcus Andronicus in Titus Andronicus , and Stephen Daedalus in an adaptation of James Joyce 's novel Ulysses . He graduated in 2001. Fox made his acting debut in

1785-539: A total 2,476,687 votes (0.56%) and was not elected, losing his £5,000 deposit. In October 2020, Fox announced he would boycott the supermarket Sainsbury's because they "support racial segregation and discrimination", making reference to the store establishing " safe spaces " for black employees, while asking others to do the same. Sainsbury's later clarified that the safe spaces were online support groups established in response to Black Lives Matter and were promoted as part of support for Black History Month . Feeling he

1890-549: Is able to express one's opinion." He followed by apologising on Twitter to "fellow humans who are Sikhs" and wrote, "I am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour. Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I expressed myself." In August 2021, Fox posted a tweet stating "get kneeling , fuckers" about the recent arrest of black footballer Benjamin Mendy on charges of rape and sexual assault. The tweet

1995-617: Is an English actor. A member of the British entertainment industry's Fox family , he graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and debuted in the film The Hole (2001). His best known role is James Hathaway in the TV drama series Lewis (2006–2015). A conservative , Fox publicly criticised the George Floyd protests and COVID-19 vaccines in 2020. After founding the right-wing populist political party Reclaim , he stood unsuccessfully in

2100-512: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear

2205-404: Is married to comedian and filmmaker Richard Ayoade . Fox's uncles are actor Edward Fox and producer Robert Fox . He is also the cousin of actors Emilia and Freddie Fox , the children of his uncle Edward. Fox was raised as an evangelical Christian . At the age of 13, he was enrolled at Harrow School . He was expelled a few weeks before taking his A-Level exams, and was unable to obtain

SECTION 20

#1732844166709

2310-872: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to

2415-446: The 2021 London mayoral election in opposition to what he deemed "extreme political correctness ". He gained 1.9% of the vote, thus losing his election deposit . He subsequently stood in the 2024 London Assembly election , in which he also lost his deposit. Fox's political career has resulted in several controversies and legal disputes. Laurence Paul Fox was born in Leeds on 26 May 1978,

2520-584: The British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of the order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to

2625-622: The COVID-19 pandemic , Fox frequently criticised the British government's response to the pandemic and encouraged people to disregard the government's social distancing guidance and disobey other public health restrictions. During an interview on Good Morning Britain , he said that "if the NHS can't cope, then the NHS isn't fit for purpose". The show's hosts, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid , censured this. During

2730-573: The Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941, the medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed

2835-789: The Lord Chancellor of England in Elizabeth: The Golden Age , also released in 2007. In addition, in that year Fox was seen on ITV as Cecil Vyse in Andrew Davies 's adaptation of A Room with a View based on E.M. Forster 's 1908 novel . On stage, Fox appeared in Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw at the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre ) in London in 2002, and John Ford 's 17th-century play 'Tis Pity She's

2940-501: The Met 's obsession with diversity and inclusivity." His candidacy was endorsed by Reform UK , who stood aside for him in the election, and Nigel Farage . The major source of Fox's campaign funds was Brexit backer Jeremy Hosking , who, in the first quarter of 2021, gave the Reclaim Party more than £1,000,000 in cash and services. Fox finished in sixth place with 47,634 votes (1.9%) in

3045-484: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use

3150-444: The coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of the medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to

3255-464: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of

Colin Dexter - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-473: The 33 two-hour episodes of the ITV television series Inspector Morse , produced between 1987 and 2000, brought further attention to Dexter's writings. The show featured Inspector Morse, played by John Thaw , and his assistant Sergeant Robert Lewis , played by Kevin Whately . In the manner of Alfred Hitchcock , Dexter made a cameo appearance in almost all episodes. From 2006 to 2015, Morse's assistant Lewis

3465-788: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when

3570-443: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of

3675-575: The High Court to decisions on preliminary issues such as the "natural and ordinary" meanings of the tweets, which included that they were a factual claim that "Ms Thorp was a paedophile". Fox took this decision to the Court of Appeal , who ruled in August 2023 that they were "satisfied that the ordinary reasonable reader of that tweet would not have taken the word [paedophile] literally", but dismissed Fox's other challenges. The libel trial and trials for counterclaims

3780-845: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable

3885-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of

3990-513: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become

4095-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of

4200-499: The UK album chart. In 2018, Fox joined the cast of the ITV series Victoria , playing Lord Palmerston , for its third season, which first aired on PBS in January 2019. In November 2020, Fox was dropped by his talent agency Artists Rights Group after stating on Question Time that an audience member's description of him as a " white privileged male" was "racist". He had been dropped by his previous managers Authentic Talent earlier in

4305-486: The UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use the titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded

Colin Dexter - Misplaced Pages Continue

4410-460: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of

4515-403: The arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of,

4620-402: The award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to the order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were

4725-468: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of

4830-402: The centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to

4935-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with

5040-488: The civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of the medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as

5145-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon

5250-647: The contracts of Fox and Robinson. Ofcom , the government's broadcasting regulatory body, opened an investigation into the incident that was still ongoing as of January 2024. Ofcom announced that the incident was the most complained about broadcast on British television in 2023, with the regulator receiving almost 9000 complaints. On 4 March 2024 Ofcom ruled that Fox's "misogynistic" comments broke broadcasting rules and “were degrading and demeaning both to [her] and women generally”. In 2019, Fox told The Times that YouTube videos had "totally radicalised" him against " woke culture" and " political correctness ". During

5355-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In

SECTION 50

#1732844166709

5460-579: The crossword clues solved by Morse. The initial books written by Dexter were general studies textbooks. He began writing mysteries in 1972 during a family holiday. Last Bus to Woodstock was published in 1975 and introduced the character of Inspector Morse , the irascible detective whose penchants for cryptic crosswords , English literature , cask ale , and music by Wagner reflected Dexter's own enthusiasms. Dexter's plots used false leads and other red herrings , "presenting Morse, and his readers, with fiendishly difficult puzzles to solve". The success of

5565-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse

5670-545: The depiction of a Sikh soldier in the film 1917 was "forced diversity" in spite of Sikh soldiers having fought on the Western Front in the First World War . When interviewed, he explained, "I suppose it would have been less incongruous to me if he'd got on the truck to a whole regiment of Sikh soldiers. [...] I mean, as you've noticed, I say quite a lot of unfortunate things, but I think it's really important that one

5775-607: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by

5880-552: The facts within the terms of any other defence recognised in law." Fox's counterclaims of defamation against Crystal, Blake and Thorp were also dismissed. Whilst the judge did not make a judgement on whether or not describing Fox as "a racist" was "substantially true", the judge ruled that the expression of such opinions were unlikely to significantly damage his reputation and that there were multiple other probable causes to any reputational damage. The judge summarised that "Mr Fox did not attempt to show these allegations were true, and he

5985-506: The following day on Twitter saying "Lawyer on the line, see you in court!" Doll later posted on 2 August that he had filed a defamation complaint against Fox and other Twitter users through lawyer Anne-Sophie Laguens and NGO Stop Homophobie. As of 3 August Fox has not yet responded. On 4 October 2023, multiple news sources reported that Fox had been arrested by police on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage to ULEZ cameras and encouraging or assisting offences to be committed. He

6090-515: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms

6195-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of

6300-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within

6405-628: The holy flags." This led to him being suspended from Twitter for a day. His actions were publicly condemned by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Campaign Against Antisemitism . In September 2020, Fox attracted funding for a new political party, provisionally called Reclaim, and dubbed " UKIP for culture". In October 2020, Fox became leader of the party, succeeding Jeremy Hosking. It emerged in October 2020 that

SECTION 60

#1732844166709

6510-602: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". Laurence Fox Laurence Paul Fox (born 26 May 1978)

6615-604: The horror-thriller film The Hole (2001). He next appeared in Robert Altman 's film Gosford Park (2001). He then donned uniforms in a slew of film and television features, including roles as a German airman in Island at War (2004), an SS officer in The Last Drop (2005), and as British soldiers in the 2002 films Deathwatch and Ultimate Force , and in Colditz (2005). In

6720-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to

6825-624: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of

6930-559: The last made-for-television film, Fox played Capt. Tom Willis who, after an unsuccessful attempt to break out of a prisoner-of-war camp , is brought to Oflag IV-C in Colditz Castle , one of the most infamous German POW camps for officers in World War II . Actor Kevin Whately caught Fox's performance in the last ten minutes of the film. The next day, at a meeting regarding a new project, Whately mentioned that Fox "would be worth taking

7035-628: The latter did not. From November 2022, Fox presented a regular Friday night slot on GB News . In September 2023, Fox was suspended by GB News after saying of female journalist Ava Evans: "Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever." Dan Wootton , the host of the show on which Fox spoke, along with Calvin Robinson , was also suspended. Fox released on Twitter an apparent private message exchange with Wootton in which he had reacted approvingly to what Fox had said. In early October 2023, GB News confirmed that, following its investigation, it had terminated

7140-457: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning

7245-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within

7350-420: The mayoral election. He lost his £10,000 election deposit . Fox attempted to stand in 2024 London mayoral election but failed to fill in the nomination forms correctly. The election authorities returned Fox's deposit and other fees. He was a candidate on the London-wide list in the 2024 London Assembly election , though he stood under 'no description', rather than for Reclaim. He received 13,795 out of

7455-421: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use

7560-399: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of

7665-605: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that

7770-463: The order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At

7875-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to

7980-410: The order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with the addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in

8085-402: The order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside

8190-527: The pair had been to court many times since their split and criticised the family court system as biased towards the mother. In June 2024, Fox announced his engagement to Elizabeth Barker. In an October 2012 Independent interview, Fox described himself as a "vaguely lapsed Christian " who occasionally prays and thinks "the world is a better place for people who believe in God" despite not having " squared that circle " himself. Some information in this table

8295-606: The party name had yet to be successfully registered with the Electoral Commission and that there was a naming conflict with the "Reclaim Project" of Manchester, an established charity in Manchester endeavouring to give opportunities to working-class children. The name Reclaim Party was approved in February 2021 as an identity mark for Brexit Express . In May 2023 the Reclaim Party gained its first MP, Andrew Bridgen , after he

8400-468: The play Treats in 2006. They started dating soon after, were married on 31 December 2007. Fox and Piper have two sons. They divorced in May 2016. In 2024, Piper commented on the divorce in British Vogue , where she expressed the desire for her children to have privacy and anonymity, and the difficulty of this given Fox's public profile. Fox disputed some of Piper's claims. He also said that

8505-499: The posts were statements of fact or opinion, and what should be included in any future trial. Fox said in March 2024 that he had discontinued the case; Yassin said Fox had agreed to its dismissal, paying thousands of pounds of legal fees to do so. On 3 May 2024, multiple news sources reported that Fox was under investigation by police for sharing an upskirt photo of the broadcaster Narinder Kaur on Twitter . Fox met actress Billie Piper while they were performing together in

8610-586: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:

8715-459: The same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from a burning building containing explosives. In December 1922

8820-556: The same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as a GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and

8925-400: The school's Christian Union . However, in 2000 he stated that he shared the same views on politics and religion as Inspector Morse, who was portrayed in the final Morse novel, The Remorseful Day , as an atheist. A post at Loughborough Grammar School followed in 1957, then he took up the position of senior Classics teacher at Corby Grammar School , Northamptonshire , in 1959. In 1966, he

9030-446: The son of Mary Elizabeth Piper and actor James Fox . His paternal grandfather was talent agent Robin Fox and his paternal grandmother was actress Angela Worthington, whose father was playwright Frederick Lonsdale . He has two older brothers named Tom and Robin, a younger sister named Lydia, and a younger brother named Jack . Robin is a film producer, while Lydia and Jack are actors; Lydia

9135-455: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of

9240-416: The statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by a proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in

9345-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of

9450-544: The year. In 2021, Fox portrayed Hunter Biden in filmmaker Robert Davi 's biopic My Son Hunter , starring alongside fellow conservatives Gina Carano and John James , the former of whom was also dropped by her agent after allegedly expressing some of the same opinions as Fox. The film was distributed by the American right-wing media company Breitbart . Fox has released two albums, Holding Patterns in 2016 and A Grief Observed in 2019. The former charted, at no. 89, but

9555-540: Was "falsely smeared as a racist", Fox replied to a number of tweets reacting to that announcement by calling their authors paedophiles . Two of those people, RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestant Crystal (Colin Seymour) and Simon Blake, deputy chair of the LGBT rights charity Stonewall , both gay men, later announced they would sue Fox for defamation. Fox deleted the tweets and explained in further tweets that he wanted to teach people

9660-401: Was "seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless" and Fox's tweets "the very epitome of 'mere retaliation' – an escalatory and disproportionate response by way of entirely irrelevant statements." In ruling against Fox, the judge summarised that "the law affords few defences to defamation of this sort. Mr Fox did not attempt to show these allegations were true, and he was not able to bring himself on

9765-432: Was a consultant for Lewis and the first few years of Endeavour . As with Morse , Dexter occasionally made cameo appearances in both Lewis and Endeavour . Although Dexter's military service was as a Morse code operator in the Royal Corps of Signals , the character was named after his friend Sir Jeremy Morse , a crossword devotee like Dexter. The music for the television series, written by Barrington Pheloung , used

9870-514: Was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire , to Alfred and Dorothy Dexter. He had an elder brother, John, a fellow classicist, who taught Classics at The King's School, Peterborough , and a sister, Avril. Alfred ran a small garage and taxi company from premises in Scotgate, Stamford. Dexter was educated at St John's Infants School and Bluecoat Junior School, from which he gained a scholarship to Stamford School ,

9975-633: Was elected a member of the by-invitation-only Detection Club . In 2005 Dexter became a Fellow by Special Election of St Cross College, Oxford . In the 2000 Birthday Honours Dexter was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature. In 2001 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Oxford. In September 2011, the University of Lincoln awarded Dexter an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. In 1956, he married Dorothy Cooper. They had

10080-540: Was expelled from the governing Conservative Party . Bridgen resigned from the party in December 2023. In July 2023, Fox stood in the 2023 Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election as a Reclaim Party candidate. He finished fourth with 2.3% of the vote, losing his deposit . In March 2021, Fox announced he would stand in the London mayoral elections , in order to "fight against extreme political correctness" and pledging to "end

10185-463: Was featured in a 33-episode ITV series titled Lewis ( Inspector Lewis in the United States). Lewis is assisted by DS James Hathaway, played by Laurence Fox . A prequel series, Endeavour , features a young Morse and stars Shaun Evans and Roger Allam . Endeavour was first broadcast on the ITV network in 2012, ending with the ninth series in 2023, taking young Morse's career into 1972. Dexter

10290-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin

10395-562: Was forced by the onset of deafness to retire from teaching and took up the post of senior assistant secretary at the University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations (UODLE) in Oxford , a job he held until his retirement in 1988. In November 2008, Dexter featured prominently in the BBC Four programme "How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword" as part of the Timeshift series , in which he recounted some of

10500-411: Was heard between 22 November and 1 December 2023 at the High Court by Mrs Justice Collins Rice as judge, with Blake and Seymour as claimants, against Fox as defendant and counterclaimant, and Thorp as defendant to the counterclaim. On 29 January 2024 a judgment was given with Justice Collins Rice ruling in favour of the claimants. The judge ruled that Fox's labelling of Crystal and Blake as paedophiles

10605-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach

10710-665: Was not able to bring himself on the facts within the terms of any other defence recognised in law". After the ruling, Fox said he was considering an appeal. On 25 April 2024, it was announced that Fox would have to pay a total of £180,000 in compensatory damages to Crystal and Blake. During the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on 26 July Fox commented on a segment featuring French drag performer and host of Drag Race France Nicky Doll , along with other French drag performers, calling them "deviant little pedos " and "child fuckers" on Twitter . Nicky Doll responded

10815-566: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of

10920-532: Was removed by Twitter and the account was temporarily locked for violating its rules against "hateful conduct". In August 2023, Fox posted a photo of himself in blackface , describing himself as having "racially transitioned". In June 2022, Fox tweeted an image of a swastika made from the Progress Pride flag with the caption, "You can openly call the [ Union Flag ] a symbol of fascism and totalitarianism on Twatter [ sic ]. You cannot criticise

11025-412: Was reported as having said on the previous day in an interview on Rumble that he declared support for a ULEZ vigilante group, saying: "I encourage them to tear down every single camera there is and I will be joining them [...] I am pretty close with several and I will be out there with my angle grinder." On 31 January 2024, a hearing was held at the High Court whereby Fox is taking legal action against

#708291