Damian Lewis Bags Freedom Of The City of London Award

Homeland's Damian Lewis - better known to fans of the show as Sergeant Nicholas Brody -  has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his outstanding achievements as an actor.

The TV star may have picked up a Golden Globe award earlier this year for hiswork on Homeland, but all of that has paled in comparison to this archaic honour, which dates back to 1237.

Damian Lewis poses with his Freedom Of The City Of London award (WENN)

According to BBC News, Lewis dubbed the honour as "one of the greatest I've ever received" - what did we tell you about the Golden Globe, eh?

"It's remarkable, I'm still surprised. I wasn't quite sure if they'd got the right person, so I'm very happy to be here. It's a rare occasion."

The award, which has previously been bestowed upon the likes of Michael Caine, Dame Judi Dench, Princess Diana and JK Rowling, comes with some pretty intriguing privileges in the smallprint.

Which means that the Homeland star, should he wish to, will be able to drive sheep and cattle over London Bridge, carry a naked sword in public AND opt for a silken rope should he ever be sentenced to hanging.

We imagine that the award is more symbolic nowadays, but it's nice to think that Damian Lewis has so many new options at his disposal for a rip-roaring night in the capital!

Let's take a look back at Damian Lewis' first appearance in Homeland...

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