Actor accepts OBE for services to drama and charity

Birmingham-born actor David Harewood has accepted an OBE for his service to drama and charity.

The 57-year-old, who starred in US drama series Homeland, was nominated after he became a prominent voice for mental health support and against racism.

He told supporters it is "one of those days" when the "ground shifts".

He also highlighted people whose "work has gone unnoticed".

"An award from a new King should be cause for massive celebration, and yet already I hear the chorus of self defeating voices rattling around my head, thoughts of 'Empire' and subjugation confusing the picture and again shifting the earth underneath," he said on social media.

He added: "I stop for a moment and think of all the others whose contributions have gone unnoticed and unpaid for and accept this award on their behalf, and continue to speak truth to power whenever and wherever I see the need."

In 2019, Harewood created a one-off BBC documentary titled Psychosis And Me, which saw him retrace his steps and delve into his breakdown after being sectioned at the age of 23.

He later backed the launch of a new online platform, JAAQ.co.uk (Just ask a question) - which helps prevent people with mental health problems "reaching crisis stage".

Discussing the potential causes of his breakdown on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs the actor, whose Barbadian parents arrived in Britain in 1957, spoke about experiencing racism as a child and the feelings that followed him into adulthood.

His upcoming BBC Two documentary, Blackface With David Harewood, explores the origins of blackface minstrels in the US in the early 19th century, and how the acts crossed the Atlantic to Britain.

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