diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index 88b6cbd..97e96b7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ Other
 
 * Move CI testing to GitHub Actions (and stop using Travis-CI).
 
+* Internal: catch invalid recipient status earlier in ESP response parsing
+
 
 
 v8.1
diff --git a/anymail/message.py b/anymail/message.py
index bf0ad16..c118964 100644
--- a/anymail/message.py
+++ b/anymail/message.py
@@ -85,6 +85,14 @@ class AnymailRecipientStatus:
     """Information about an EmailMessage's send status for a single recipient"""
 
     def __init__(self, message_id, status):
+        try:
+            # message_id must be something that can be put in a set
+            # (see AnymailStatus.set_recipient_status)
+            set([message_id])
+        except TypeError:
+            raise TypeError("Invalid message_id %r is not scalar type" % message_id)
+        if status is not None and status not in ANYMAIL_STATUSES:
+            raise ValueError("Invalid status %r" % status)
         self.message_id = message_id  # ESP message id
         self.status = status  # one of ANYMAIL_STATUSES, or None for not yet sent to ESP
 
diff --git a/tests/test_message.py b/tests/test_message.py
index c87286b..c26ba9d 100644
--- a/tests/test_message.py
+++ b/tests/test_message.py
@@ -76,3 +76,11 @@ class AnymailStatusTests(AnymailTestMixin, SimpleTestCase):
         self.assertIsNone(status.status)
         self.assertIsNone(status.message_id)
         self.assertEqual(repr(status), "AnymailStatus<status=None>")
+
+    def test_invalid_message_id(self):
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(TypeError, "Invalid message_id"):
+            AnymailRecipientStatus(["id-list", "is-not-valid"], "queued")
+
+    def test_invalid_status(self):
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(ValueError, "Invalid status"):
+            AnymailRecipientStatus("12345", "not-a-known-status")