26 Facts About Sir Lenny Henry

1. Sir Lenny Henry calls for tax breaks to increase diversity in TV.

2. Sir Lenny Henry is believed to have dropped a whopping three stone thanks to a vegetarian diet.

3. Sir Lenny Henry has been awarded a surprise fellowship of the Royal Television Society at its Programme Awards for his work raising awareness of diversity in the industry.

4. Sir Lenny Henry is joining the cast of Broadchurch, it has been announced.

5. Sir Lenny Henry joins cast for third and final series of Broadchurch.

6. Sir Lenny Henry talks about his BBC Four show Our Classical Century exploring Britain's love of classical music, Tim discusses his starring role in the Coen Brothers Western: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Sarah speaks about her album and tour Hymn.

7. Sir Lenny Henry will host a TV celebration of musical masterpieces inspired by WW1.

8. On 20 July 2016, Sir Lenny Henry was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Nottingham Trent University in recognition of his significant contribution to British comedy and drama, along with his achievements in international charity work.

9. In 2016, Sir Lenny Henry was made a fellow of the Royal Television Society.

10. In July 2016, Sir Lenny Henry became the chancellor of Birmingham City University to help inspire young people particularly in the West Midlands to get into learning.

11. Sir Lenny Henry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1999 New Year Honours.

12. Sir Lenny Henry has been an open critic of British television's lack of ethnic diversity in its programming.

13. On 6 April 2010, French and Sir Lenny Henry announced they were separating after 25 years of marriage.

14. In November 2011, Sir Lenny Henry made his debut at the Royal National Theatre in London in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, directed by Dominic Cooke, in which he played the character of Antipholus of Syracuse.

15. Sir Lenny Henry has said that he saw parallels between himself and Othello.

16. In February 2009, Sir Lenny Henry appeared in the Northern Broadsides production of Othello, in the title role, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, directed by Barrie Rutter, who, before the production opened, said of the decision to cast him: "knives might be out at me or at Lenny.

17. In 2014, Sir Lenny Henry appeared in and produced a play based on his radio show Rudy's Rare Records, which played at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before moving on to a run in London.

18. Sir Lenny Henry was criticised for his opening sketch for the 2011 Comic Relief, during which he spoofed the film The King's Speech and grew impatient with Colin Firth's portrayal of King George VI as he stammered over his speech.

19. In 2010, Sir Lenny Henry produced and starred in a five-part web series for the BBC Comedy website, Conversations with my Wife, about a fictional couple conversing over Skype while the wife is away on business leaving the husband to hold the fort at home.

20. On 16 June 2007 Sir Lenny Henry appeared with Chris Tarrant and Sally James to present a 25th Anniversary episode of Tiswas.

21. On 16 March 2007, Sir Lenny Henry made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate, who appeared in the guise of her character Geordie Georgie from The Catherine Tate Show.

22. Sir Lenny Henry appeared in advertisements for butter products in New Zealand, commissioned by the company now known as Fonterra, as well as portraying Saint Peter in the Virgin Mobile advertising campaign in South Africa.

23. Sir Lenny Henry voiced Dre Head, the "shrunken head" on the Knight Bus in the 2004 movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and read the audiobook version of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys.

24. In 2003, Sir Lenny Henry was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy.

25. Sir Lenny Henry is known as the choleric chef Gareth Blackstock from the 1990s television comedy series Chef!, or from his 1999 straight-acting lead role in the BBC drama Hope And Glory.

26. In the early 1990s, Sir Lenny Henry starred in the Hollywood film True Identity, in which his character pretended to be a white person to avoid the mob.