BRITAIN: Few politicians, no pop stars and no celebrity footballers: nostalgia is the key feature of the UK new year honours list marked by awards for celebrities from a bygone era and for ordinary members of the public who have acted with courage "at the sharp end" of tragedy.
From Owen Bowcott, John Ezard and Will Woodward in London
The well-known names from showbusiness and the arts are not many: Ridley Scott is rewarded with a knighthood for his 26 years of film direction, from The Duellists through Alien to Gladiator; so is Alan Bates for 41 years of film acting from John Osborne's The Entertainer to Robert Altman's Gosford Park.
Actor Edward Fox and stand-up comedian Jasper Carrott receive OBEs.
In keeping with Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair's priorities, people working in education, health and community services account for around half of the list, which contains 976 names. Just under half were nominated by the local community.
Other awards follow earlier Blairite honours lists in going even further down the entertainment industry's memory lane. OBEs go to Jean Simmons, who played Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film of Hamlet, and Anthony Buckeridge, now 90, author of the Jennings series on BBC radio Children's Hour immediately after the second World War.
Johnny Wilkinson is perhaps the most surprising choice on the sports honours list, a recognition that at the age of 23 he is the leading rugby fly-half in the world.
He is rewarded with an MBE for an outstanding year which culminated in him kicking the points which gave England victory over Australia at Twickenham last month.
"You don't play rugby with the aim or intention of winning awards like this but it is always very nice when they come along and you are recognised," he said.
Sam Torrance received an OBE for his leadership during the Ryder Cup when he led Europe to an unexpected win over the US at the Belfry.
"This caps a truly outstanding year for me," he said. "I never dared dream at the start of the year of anything like this."
Some of those honoured are into their nineties, such as Mr Nicholas Winton, who smuggled 669 Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Europe to the safety of London.
Mr Winton, who kept his role a secret for nearly 50 years, is made a knight "for services to humanity in saving Jewish children". A documentary film was recently made about his exploits in Prague before the outbreak of the second World War.
Derek Dooley, the Sheffield Wednesday centre forward whose leg was amputated in 1953 receives what is described as a "belated MBE".
Sir Denis Mahon, critic of governments for 40 years as art dealer and collector, is appointed a Companion of Honour at 90, as is the independent scientist and father of the Gaia theory, Mr Jim Lovelock, aged 83.
OBEs go to the parents of the murdered black teenager, Stephen Lawrence. Both Ms Doreen and Mr Neville Lawrence are honoured as co-founders of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, which they established after their son was stabbed to death in an unprovoked racist attack in south London in April 1993. No one has been convicted of the crime.
There is an MBE for the Rev Tim Alban Jones, the vicar of Soham, Cambridgeshire, recognising his community ministrations following the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman last summer.
Another figure who persevered in the face of tragedy is Ms Heather Saunders, widow of the British military attache in Athens, who campaigned for the terrorists who assassinated her husband Stephen to be brought to trial.
A spokesman for the prime minister said the list was "about rewarding people who work and serve at the sharp end, people who change things or give outstanding service to others in difficult situations". This year's recipients include a pot washer, a violin maker, a cleaner, a postman, a lollipop lady and even a crossword compiler.
Mr John Jones, headteacher of Maghull high school in Sefton, Liverpool, who transformed his previous school, Ruffwood in Knowsley, and became one of the government's most valued schools advisers, receives a knighthood.
Ms Rita Weller, headteacher of Avonmore primary in Hammersmith, west London, which achieves outstanding results with a diverse intake, becomes a dame. - (Guardian Service, PA)