New Year Honours 2021: Bodyguard writer Jed Mercurio appointed OBE

Jed Mercurio is being honoured for services to television drama

The writer of two of Britain's most-watched television shows - Line of Duty and Bodyguard - has been appointed an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours.

Jed Mercurio, 54, from Nelson in Lancashire, is being honoured for services to TV drama.

Morecambe's TT motorcycling legend John McGuinness was made an MBE, which he described as "the icing on the cake for years of riding round in circles".

A man behind Covid-19 food parcels for those shielding has also become an MBE.

Mercurio, a former hospital doctor, began a career in TV after seeing an advert in the British Medical Journal from a production company interested in developing medical drama Cardiac Arrest.

The series, starring Helen Baxendale and Andrew Lancel, launched in 1994 and soon topped a poll of UK medical professionals as the most realistic medical drama of all time.

While Mercurio left his career in medicine, his background continued to influence his writing, with his series Bodies starring Max Beesley, and Critical, starring Lennie James, both set inside hospitals.

But it was the BBC hit Line Of Duty - about police anti-corruption unit AC-12 - that really propelled his career from 2012.

Then in 2018, Bodyguard, starring Richard Madden as a police officer assigned to protect the home secretary, became the most-watched drama series of the decade, with the finale drawing a TV audience of 14.3m.

TT legend John McGuinness said he was "shocked" by his honour

McGuinness, a 23-time TT winner, said he was "shocked" at being appointed an MBE for his services to motorcycling.

The so-called Morecambe Missile suffered extensive injuries in a crash in 2017, but returned to racing the following year.

Of his honour, he said: "I didn't expect this coming."

Ricky Sercombe led deliveries of food parcels to vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic

IT expert Ricky Sercombe, of Whitworth, was at the heart of a "lifeline" project to deliver up to 450,000 weekly food parcels to vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of his MBE, the 48-year-old said: "I'm personally proud but I'm proud of what my company Brakes did. It was very much a team effort.

"It was quite an operation to deliver food to all over Scotland, England and Wales in such a short space of time, especially as we don't normally deliver to individuals. It's normally schools and businesses."

"I feel honoured, valued and overjoyed," said Sue Henry of her accolade

Others recognised this year include Sue Henry from Darwen, who was pivotal in both boosting NHS services for newborns and significantly improving breastfeeding rates in east Lancashire.

She is to receive a British Empire Medal for her services to midwifery and family care.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said she was instrumental in it becoming the first acute trust in the country to receive the baby-friendly initiative "gold" standard from the United Nations Children's Fund.

Ms Henry said she was "truly grateful" but wanted to acknowledge everyone in East Lancashire Hospitals maternity and neonatal services.

"I feel honoured, valued and overjoyed," she added.

Former Olympian Peter Warden from Preston is also to receive a British Empire Medal.

The 79-year-old, who represented Great Britain in the 1964 Olympics, has spent 60 years coaching athletes, many of whom went on to win Olympic medals.

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