Channel 4 congratulates Dawn Airey CBE, Ally Castle MBE, and Susie Dent MBE, who have been recognised in The King’s Birthday Honours list 2024

15 June 2024

Channel 4 today congratulates Dawn Airey CBE, Ally Castle MBE, and Susie Dent MBE who have been recognised in The King’s Birthday Honours list 2024.

• Dawn Airey CBE has been recognised for services to Theatre and Charity
• Ally Castle MBE has been recognised for services to Inclusivity and Diversity in Broadcasting
• Susie Dent MBE has been recognised for services to Literature and Language. 

 

Alex Mahon, CEO at Channel 4, comments: “Channel 4  is delighted to celebrate three brilliant women recognised in The King’s Birthday Honours today. Dawn Airey is a giant of the broadcasting industry who we are very lucky to have as a Non-Executive Deputy Chair of Channel 4. We are thrilled that she has been made a CBE for her outstanding contribution to Theatre and Charity.  Congratulations to Ally Castle MBE. Everyone at Channel 4 is delighted that her services to Inclusivity and Diversity in Broadcasting have been recognised by The King. It’s a privilege to work with her at Channel 4 to create a more equitable industry for all. Susie Dent has brought not only huge knowledge and intellect to Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, but also her own inimitable warmth and humour which has endeared her to viewers for over three decades. We couldn’t be more proud that she has been made an MBE for services to Literature and Language.  Huge congratulations to all three!”

Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer at Channel 4 adds: “Ally is a force of nature who has had a transformative effect both on the representation of disabled people in front of the camera, and their ability to pursue careers behind it. She has helped shape our programming to ensure we tell bold, authentic and original stories about disability and feature a wide range of disabled people in our content, and to challenge and progress the national conversation around disability. Congratulations Ally, we are proud that your important work has been recognised and we’re lucky to have you as part of our team.

Susie has been Countdown's resident expert in Dictionary Corner since 1992. In that time she has helped thousands of contestants and millions of viewers understand some of the finer points of the English language with insight, warmth and wit. It’s only fitting that she has been honoured for services to literature and to language, and everyone at Channel 4 is delighted for Susie and her fully-deserved recognition.”

Dawn Airey CBE has more than 30 years’ experience working in television, holding senior positions at ITV, Channel 5, Sky and Channel 4 amongst others, and is currently Non-Executive Deputy Chair of Channel 4. She is also Chair of Trustees of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and a firm advocate for the creative arts, inclusion and elevating young people’s talent.

 

Ally Castle MBE is Channel 4’s Consultant Disability Lead, a creative strategist and disability consultant with over 20 years’ experience in TV.  A former programme-maker, she set up her own creative strategy consultancy in 2014 supporting editorial decision-making for clients across broadcasting, through which she has directly and indirectly championed diversity and inclusion both on and off screen.  Ally has a particular passion for disability representation and portrayal in the screen industries; she was in-house Disability Lead for Channel 4 for a year and the co-lead with her friend and mentor Tanya Motie for the first phase of the ground-breaking TV Access Project (TAP), an alliance of 10 broadcasters and streamers joining together with disabled creatives to deliver industry-wide solutions for disability inclusion. 

Susie Dent MBE is a writer and broadcaster on language, and has been a co-presenter on Channel 4’s Countdown - appearing in "Dictionary Corner" - since 1992.  She also appears on the show's comedy sister 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown and comments regularly on TV and radio on words in the news. She has contributed to discussions on Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Word of Mouth, Saturday Live,  More or Less, Today, and on Radio 5 Live's Breakfast and Drive programmes.