The celebrities, sports stars, actors, and business people recognised in the 2017 New Year's Honours

The annual British New Year's Honours List, which recognises the achievements of people across Britain, has been released.

Honours are decided and announced by the Cabinet Office twice a year - at New Year and on The Queen's official birthday in June.

There are several different honours that are awarded. They are, in order of prestige:

• MBE: "Member of the Order of the British Empire" - Awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community.
• OBE: "Officer of the Order of the British Empire" - This is awarded for having a major local role in any activity.
• CBE: "Commander of the Order of the British Empire" - This is awarded for having a prominent but lesser role at national level, or a leading role at regional level.
• Knighthood/damehood: This is awarded for having a major contribution in any activity, usually at national level.
• CH: "The Companion of Honour" - This is awarded for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time. There are only 65 members at any one time.

In total, 1,197 people have been awarded honours in the 2017 New Year's list but we've picked out 17 of the most famous names on the list: