Yorkshire actor Sir Patrick Stewart recognised as legend at Empire awards

The West Yorkshire-born star, 76, said he aimed to see every one of the club’s matches this season, after joking that the accolade was a hint he had reached the end of his acting career.

Speaking at the Empire magazine event in London tonight, he said: “Huddersfield Town have to get into the Premiership this season to make my year perfect – so it’s very close.

“But I’m not a chanter, and I have to confess I don’t understand a lot of the chants. I will be in Huddersfield in two days’ time and one of my plans is to have them print out for me what those chants are so I can join in.”

Picking up the award, he joked: “A legend award, come on Patrick it doesn’t mean to say your career is over... I think it means I’m done, I’m finished.”

Best known for playing Captain Picard in Star Trek and Professor X in the X-Men franchise, the actor said there was a “sense of unreality” about the honour.

“It’s the last thing ever in my career that I anticipated, I have literally gone job by job day by day doing what I’ve loved doing since I was 17,” he said. “I think I’ll keep this award on my pillow so that when I wake up in the morning there will be a reminder saying ‘it actually happened, Patrick, there you are, an alleged legend’.”

Tom Hiddleston picked up the Empire hero award, which was presented by The Night Manager co-star Hugh Laurie.

The BBC One drama in which the pair featured was also named best TV series.

Best actor awards were presented to Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.

Meanwhile Rogue One: A Star Wars Story took home the prize for best film and Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake was named as the year’s best British film.