Leading arts figures earn gongs

Dame Joan Bakewell fronted BBC Two's Late Night Line-Up in the 1960s

Broadcaster Joan Bakewell leads a host of arts luminaries honoured in the Queen's annual birthday honours list.

The veteran presenter and writer told the BBC she was "delighted" to be made a dame for services to journalism and the arts.

She is joined by novelist Margaret Drabble, made a dame for services to literature, and Monica Margaret Mason, director of the Royal Ballet.

Composer Michael Nyman and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe are also honoured.

Bakewell, who was one of the first women to break into TV journalism, told the BBC: "It sounds very strange indeed... so I'm still grinning at the prospect.

"I'm delighted, of course. It's very kind, and who would not be thrilled."

Gerald Scarfe's caricatures have become instantly recognisable

Nyman, whose acclaimed film scores have included The Piano and multiple collaborations with director Peter Greenaway, is appointed CBE for services to music.

Illustrator Scarfe, whose prodigious body of work includes designs for Pink Floyd's The Wall, becomes a CBE for services to the arts.

"I'm pleased but surprised, having spent my life being rude to people," said Scarfe, who is married to actress Jane Asher.

Mark Elder, conductor and music director of the Manchester-based Halle Orchestra, Britain's oldest symphony orchestra, receives a knighthood.

Playwrights Tanika Gupta - whose plays include Gladiator Games and Sugar Mummies - and Roy Williams, known for his contemporary urban dramas such as Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads, are appointed MBE and OBE respectively.

Malorie Blackman, the award-winning children's author - whose romance and race novel Noughts and Crosses was recently adapted for the stage - is also made an OBE.

CBEs are also conferred upon Michael Lynch, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, and artist David Shepherd, for services to charity and wildlife conservation.