Sir Lenworth Henry CBE has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature Honoris Causa of the University of London by Royal Holloway, recognising his extraordinary contribution to film and TV, his trailblazing work in comedy, and his tireless advocacy for charity and social justice.
The honorary degree was conferred by Professor Julie Sanders, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Royal Holloway, at a graduation ceremony for the School of Performing and Digital Arts on Thursday 18 July 2024.
Sir Lenny Henry has been a comedian since the age of 16. He has risen from being a cult star on children’s television to becoming one of Britain’s most well-known comedians, as well as a writer, philanthropist, and award-winning actor.
Sir Lenny’s on-screen credits are numerous and include The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, The Witcher: Blood Origin, Broadchurch, The Syndicate, The Long Song and the biographic film Danny and The Human Zoo.
In theatre, Sir Lenny has starred in The Comedy of Errors at The National, Fences at the Duchess Theatre, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Donmar Warehouse, King Hedley II at Theatre Royal Stratford East and most recently made his playwriting debut in his sell out play: August in England, at the Bush theatre.
Sir Lenny co-founded Comic Relief, alongside comedy writer Richard Curtis, and over the last thirty years over £1billion has been donated to the charity. He is also a strong advocate for diversity and has established a centre for Media Diversity, written two books on the topic and now has a podcast.
Following a BA in English with the Open University, Sir Lenny joined Royal Holloway's postgraduate screenwriting course in 2009. He then completed a PhD in the Department of Media Arts under the guidance of professors Sue Clayton and John Hill, the process for which he described as “demanding but transformative”. Sir Henry is also a proud supporter of Royal Holloway's StoryFutures having played a key role in securing its funding, subsequently serving on its board for several years and continues to collaborate as Royal Holloway takes up its new status as the UK’s National Lab for Creative Industries R&D: CoSTAR.
He was awarded a Knighthood in 2015 for services to drama and charity and has written two memoirs with Faber alongside a series of children’s books published through Pan Macmillan. He has written and created a Post Windrush TV drama called Three Little Birds for ITV//ITVX. In 2023 Sir Lenny launched a production company called Esmerelda.