Sir Lenny Henry was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Diversity Awards 2026 in London on Wednesday night (25.03.26) and spoke about how the Oscars success of Sinners can be an inspiration to filmmakers from minority backgrounds in the UK.
Sir Lenny Henry believes the Oscars success of Sinners and Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan can be an inspiration to “Black and brown and gay talent” in Britain.
The 67-year-old actor was thrilled to see director Coogler’s 1930s-set vampire film be nominated for 16 Academy Awards this year and ultimately take home three Oscars, including Best Actor for Jordan – who played gangsters the Smokestack Twins Elijah and Elias – Best Original Score and Best Original Screenplay for Coogler.
Lenny says Coogler’s ascent to the top of Hollywood took over a decade and shows how long the journey to success and recognition can be.
The Othello actor believes British filmmakers and creatives from minority backgrounds can look at what Creed filmmaker Coogler, 39, and Black Panther star Jordan, 39, have done and realise they can reach the same dizzying heights as well.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the British Diversity Awards 2026 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel in London on Wednesday night (25.03.26), Lenny said: “I mean Ryan Coogler wasn’t around 15 years ago, but now he’s everywhere. It takes a long time to come through in the way we want it to come through, which is just equal. We’re not saying, ‘Give us everything.’ We’re just asking to be in the room.
“For somebody like Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan to be winning awards it’s hugely encouraging to the Black and brown and gay talent in this country. We’re going, ‘Oh, great, it means it can happen.’ As long as you get the chance to do it that’s all we want, really.”
Sir Lenny was at the ceremony to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of diversity advocacy across the creative industries.
The comedian acknowledges that it has become easier for diverse talent to breakthrough on screen and in front of the camera in 2026, but he says more still needs to be done to help people get a start behind-the-scenes in the creative industries.
He said: “It’s about everybody, it’s not just about a small group of people. I think we’re getting there but it’s a slow, glacial pace still. It’s almost like we’re going backwards.”
When Lenny got his first big break presenting children’s TV show Tiswas in 1978 he was one of only a handful of Black Britons on television and as his success grew with The Lenny Henry Show in the 1980s he was always made sure he gave back to others.
As he approaches his 70th birthday, Lenny is still doing all he can to help diversify his industry.
He said: “I’m still involved in the struggle. I work with Marcus Ryder at the Film and TV Charity. I’m still Life President of Comic Relief. And I’m still very aware when I walk into a room what it looks like and I think it’s my job to say.”
Lenny was recognised at the awards ceremony for his long-standing impact in driving change across the media landscape.
From his landmark 2014 BAFTA Television Lecture to co-founding the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, his work has brought national attention to representation and continues to influence progress across television, film and journalism. Alongside his on-screen career, his production company Esmerelda has championed underrepresented voices, while his role as co-founder of Comic Relief has helped raise over £1 billion to tackle poverty and social injustice.
Other winners at the British Diversity Awards 2026 included former Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland and Ria Hebden, who were the joint recipients of the Media Champion of the Year prize.
McCausland received Media Champion of the Year for using his platform to challenge perceptions and improve representation for disabled people across the media industry. He shared the accolade with Ria, recognised for her work championing diversity and inclusion both on and off screen, including through her broadcasting career and initiatives such as Wonder Women, which supports and elevates underrepresented women in TV and the creative industries.
The annual awards – headline sponsored by LSEG – brought together leading figures from business, entertainment, sport and grassroots organisations.
Hosted by Dr Ranj Singh and Charlene White, the evening also featured a special live performance from chart-topping boy band Blue.
Among the other major winners on the night were Tess Howard MBE, who was named Athlete Empowering Positive Change, while Tokeer Ahmed of Capgemini was named Inspirational Role Model of the Year.
HAWA Multicultural Services CIC was named Charity or Not-for-Profit of the Year, recognised for its grassroots work supporting multicultural communities through culturally sensitive services.
Meanwhile, Trans is Human, a photography exhibition celebrating the stories of 13 trans people from across the UK, took home Community Project of the Year.
Sir Lenny Henry says Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Oscars wins for Sinners can inspire ‘Black and brown and gay talent’ in Britain
