Iconic and inspirational figures awarded Honorary Doctorates

Joining 1300 students at the University’s winter graduations were multi-talented BAFTA Fellow and presenter of the iconic children’s TV programme Playschool, Baroness Floella Benjamin OM DBE DL. Celebrated Margate artist Dame Tracey Emin was also honoured, along with Canterbury Christ Church University alumnus and BBC International Business Correspondent Theo Leggett, President of the UK Supreme Court Lord Robert Reed of Allermuir and The Very Reverend Dr David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral.

The awards were in recognition of their outstanding achievements within their fields and the significant contribution they have made to local communities and the wider society.

Professor Rama Thirunamachandran OBE DL, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Canterbury Christ Church University, said: “Our graduation ceremonies are the highlight of our academic year. They are a time to celebrate the outstanding achievements and hard work of our students, and to thank the family, friends and colleagues who have supported our students throughout their time at the University.

“Our ceremonies also allow us the chance to honour individuals who have made remarkable contributions within their fields. We are delighted to welcome our new Honorary Doctors into our University community, recognising not only their accomplishments but also their roles as inspiring figures who share our commitment and ambition to enrich society.”

Baroness Floella Benjamin OM DBE DL

Baroness Floella Benjamin is an actress, presenter, producer, writer, politician and advocate for children. She is best known for her role in the iconic TV programmes Playschool and PlayAway.

During her five decades in the entertainment industry she has received numerous awards, including the Women in Film and Television Lifetime Award, the JM Barrie Award for her legacy to children’s creative arts and in 2024 she was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship, their highest accolade, for her contribution to the television industry, including broadcasting and championing legislation in parliament for the sake of children’s happiness and wellbeing.

She has written over 30 books including the bestselling Coming to England which is part of national curriculum, and was awarded a Guardian ‘Children’s Book of the Year’.

In 2010 she entered the House of Lords, where she speaks on diversity, equality and children’s issues and in 2020 she received a Damehood for her charitable work.

As Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee she oversaw the creation a National Monument to the Windrush Generation at Waterloo Station.

One of the late Queen’s last wishes was to award Floella the Order of Merit. She was chosen by King Charles to carry the King’s Sceptre with Dove at his Coronation.

Dame Tracey Emin DBE RA

Dame Tracey Emin is a multimedia artist renowned for her bold, honest work, which is deeply emotional and personal. She came to prominence in the 1990s as one of the Young British Artists or YBAs and was shortlisted for the 1999 Turner Prize for her installation My Bed.

As a teenager she studied fine art printmaking at Maidstone College of Art and then painting at the Royal College of Art, London. She represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2007 and was elected a Royal Academician in the same year. In 2011, Tracey became the Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

In 2022, as part of her foundation, Tracey set up TKE studios in Margate for established as well as emerging artists. In June 2024, King Charles III appointed her Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the visual arts.

The Rt. Hon. Lord Robert Reed of Allermuir

Lord Robert Reed was appointed President of the UK’s highest judicial body, the Supreme Court, in 2019. Throughout his career he has been known for his work on human rights, and access to justice.

He qualified as a member of the Scottish and English Bars and practised at the Scottish Bar between 1983 and 1998, specialising in public law. He served as a senior judge in Scotland from 1998 to 2012, when he became a Justice of the Supreme Court. In June 2018 he became the Deputy President of the Court and took up the appointment of its President in January 2020. In addition to being the President of the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Lord Reed is a member of the panel of ad hoc judges of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Very Reverend Dr David Monteith

The Very Reverend Dr David Monteith was installed in December 2022 as the 40th Dean of Canterbury (post Reformation).

Prior to this he was Dean of Leicester in the East Midlands where he was responsible for the re-interment of King Richard III after his find in a car-park, and the redevelopment of the cathedral in one of Britain’s most diverse cities where he also chaired the inter-faith ministry of the diocese.

Ordained in the Diocese of Birmingham in 1993, he has also served as Associate Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London and as an Area Dean in Wimbledon. His interests focus on faith in the public realm, change, culture and the arts.

Theo Leggett

Theo Leggett is International Business Correspondent at the BBC. After studying for an MA in Media Production at Canterbury Christ Church University in the mid-1990s, he began his broadcasting career working as an intern at Eagle Radio in Guildford. He later became a presenter at Swiss Radio International, before moving to London and joining the BBC World Service in early 2000. In nearly a quarter of a century at the corporation, he has reported from around the world. Among the major stories he has covered in that time are the 2008 global financial crisis, the 2016 UK European Union membership referendum campaign, and the financial impacts of the Covid pandemic. In recent years, he has produced ground-breaking coverage of the safety scandal at Boeing.

The awards were conferred during ceremonies on Thursday 30 and Friday 31 January at Canterbury Cathedral.