Lenny Henry says being offered a knighthood was "a lovely feeling" and "like being filled with lemonade".
The comic told BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans that the honour, expected to be officially confirmed on Friday, was "wonderful".
He said: "It was lovely, it was a lovely feeling, it was like being filled with lemonade for 10 or 15 minutes but as people found out and started to ring it was a bit overwhelming."