Line Of Duty’s Vicky McClure made MBE for charity and TV work

The actress was recognised for services to drama and to charity.

Vicky McClure, who has become a household name in the UK following a series of high-octane TV roles, has been made an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to drama and to charity.

The Nottingham-born actress, 40, is perhaps best known for her starring role in the BBC’s Line Of Duty, although has gained further recognition outside acting for her charity work.

McClure is a vocal advocate for the Alzheimer’s Society, of which she is an ambassador, and has raised awareness around the disease through her creation of Our Dementia Choir.

Alzheimer’s Society letter to Rishi Sunak — Vicky McClure (second left) with Dame Arlene Phillips, Ananga Moonesinghe, who lives with dementia, Kate Lee, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, Debbie Abrahams MP and Elliot Colburn MP delivering an open letter to 10 Downing Street demanding the Government urgently fulfil their promises on dementia (Beresford Hodge/PA)

The role, which she reprised for several TV follow-up series, won her critical acclaim and several award nominations and wins – including from the Royal Television Society and Bafta.

The This Is England franchise ran for several series, ending in 2015 with This Is England ‘90.

Line of Duty sixth series filming in Belfast — Vicky McClure on the set of Line Of Duty with Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston (Liam McBurney/PA)

The show, which has run for six series, has been another critical success for the actress and garnered her further nominations.

She was nominated for a Bafta Television award for best supporting actress in 2015, and a National Television Award for drama performance in 2021.

McClure has maintained a close friendship with Compston, and the pair recently went head-to-head in the 2023 charity Soccer Aid match for Unicef – which saw defeat for her England side for the fifth year running.

The actress has been involved with UK charity the Alzheimer’s Society for many years, having participated in the organisation’s annual charity walk, and becoming an ambassador in 2018.

Vicky McClure Soccer Aid 2023 — Vicky McClure joined the England squad at this year’s Soccer Aid, going head-to-head with Line of Duty co-star Martin Compston (Bradley Collyer/PA)

A BBC documentary to raise awareness of the disease culminated in the group’s performance in front of 2,000 people at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall, and McClure later revisited the choir in 2020 to explore the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on them.

In August 2022 she was further recognised for her work with the choir by being made an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Nottingham – describing it as “my personally proudest day to date”.

Vicky McClure joins Memory Walk — Outside of acting, Vicky McClure is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society (Alzheimer’s Society/PA)

“I didn’t get many GCSEs, I’m not the quickest reader but I love people, they give me purpose, this doctorate gives me purpose and if there is any advice I can give to you all today… it’s service.

“Service to others. The world is a difficult place to navigate and for those living with dementia and other life altering illnesses we must do our bit.”