Gilbert and Sullivan well, and on 13 May 1883, at a party to celebrate the composer's 41st birthday, the guests, including the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), heard a direct relay of parts of "Iolanthe" from the Savoy. This was probably the first live "broadcast" of an opera. During the run of "Iolanthe", in 1883, Sullivan was knighted by Queen Victoria. Although it was the operas with Gilbert that had earned him the broadest fame, the honour was conferred for his services to serious music. The musical establishment, and many critics, believed that this should put an end to his career as
Cultural influence of Gilbert and Sullivan Another science fiction author, Robert A. Heinlein, referred to the "Little List" song in his Hugo Award-winning novel, "Stranger in a Strange Land". There, when a character discovers the protagonist's ability to make objects and people disappear, mulls: "I've got a little list... they'd none of them be missed." Anne McCaffrey also seems fond of "The Pirates of Penzance"—several characters pass the time with it in "Power Play", and references to "When the foeman bares his steel" appear in "Crystal Line". Aside from film adaptations of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, several films have treated the G&S partnership. Mike Leigh's film