Lenny Henry set to receive honour of a lifetime

Lenny Henry is set to be honoured with the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

According to the fest, the 66-year-old British actor and comedian will be honoured for working 50 years in shows that have "helped shape the landscape of British television and culture.”

For the unversed, Henry has shown his talent in shows like The Rings of Power, The Witcher: The Blood Origin, The Syndicate, Chef!, and Broadchurch.

His stage performances include Fences at the Duchess Theatre, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Donmar Warehouse, and The Comedy of Errors at The National.

Other than acting and performing on stage, the Three Little Birds star has been using his voice for diversity and its inclusion in the world of entertainment.

Henry even uses his company, Esmeralda, to support people whose voices are not often heard and also helped start Comic Relief, a fundraising comedy show, which has accumulated over £1B (about $1.37B) for important causes since 1985.

The Zog star, who also started a Media Diversity center at Birmingham City University, articulated his thoughts about the honour he will receive.

“I’d like to thank the Edinburgh TV Festival and all who sail in her for this magnificent honour. I’m very humbled to receive it and will wear a kilt and go commando to celebrate. Excelsior. Big love,” Henry said.