Russell T Davies, the TV writer who resurrected Doctor Who, has received his OBE for services to drama from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.
Davies, who chatted with the Prince for nearly a minute as he collected his honour, said he was proud to be recognised for his writing.
"Writers are the lifeblood of a lot of stuff that gets made," he said later.
"So I was really honoured to accept it on behalf of everyone slaving away at keyboards," the 45-year-old continued.
Speculation
Davies, who recently claimed Prince Charles had snubbed an offer to appear on Doctor Who, relaunched the show in 2005 with actor Christopher Eccleston in the lead role.
In May he announced he was stepping down as the programme's executive producer after a four-year tenure.
Actor David Tennant has also announced he is to leave the show, prompting a flurry of speculation as to who will replace him.
Davies said he was playing no part in the process, despite working in close proximity to the Doctor Who team.
"The people who are choosing the next Doctor are in the office next to me and I do not know what they're doing," said the writer, whose other dramas include Queer as Folk and The Second Coming.
"Imagine if you took over a new job. You don't want the old bloke popping his head round the door saying 'Can I give you some advice?'"
Dame Joan Bakewell received her honour from the Prince of Wales at the same ceremony.
The 75-year-old broadcaster, dubbed "the thinking man's crumpet" by comedian Frank Muir, was recently appointed champion of the elderly by the government.
-BBC News