Congratulations to Michael Cashman, awarded a CBE in the New Year's Honours' List.

He is probably best-known for delivering the first gay kiss on British prime-time TV, sparking record numbers of complaints but also many plaudits when his character Colin Russell pecked lover Barry Clark on the forehead in a 1987 episode of EastEnders.

Colin was the first homosexual character in the BBC soap, and his introduction caused huge controversy at a time when gay people were largely represented as camp figures of fun on TV.

He is now the Labour Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands and a prominent activist for human rights. As part of his campaign to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, he is the co-president of the European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights.