Happy Birthday, Benedict Cumberbatch...

On the 19th July 1976, actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham welcomed their son, Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, into the world. He would go on to become one of the world’s most well-known actors, portraying characters from BBC’s Sherlock to Marvel’s Doctor Strange. It’s safe to say that he has a vast range of fans thanks to his wide variety of small and big roles. So, if you were to enter the ‘fandom’ as such, you would meet a whole load of different personalities.

That’s what I’ve experienced.

January 2013 saw the return of the well-loved BBC adaption of Sherlock, which Benedict plays the consulting detective. It was a bit of an event, with coverage across all media platforms with hashtags, the lot. It meant that it was a lot to get away from, and if you didn’t see or hear anything about it, then congratulations. I saw it, and by gosh, I’m so glad I did. It was the sheer media coverage and adverts constantly playing across the BBC channels that made me aware of the detective’s big return on New Year’s Day, yet I hadn’t even ventured into the programme beforehand.

Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. So, whilst everybody watched the three new episodes and were gobsmacked over the storylines, finally finding the answers to many cliff-hangers, I just had to see what was going on and after not watching the previous two series, I was, of course, confused. This meant that I had to go back and watch the other two series, and it was the best decision I ever made.

Within a week of the new series airing on BBC, I had done so many google searches of Benedict Cumberbatch’s name that I was finally able to type it without mistake, and I started to fill up that iCloud storage with my favourite photos of the actor.

A new day and a new google search, I found my way onto a Sherlock forum, which was fan run. What was exciting was to see that the forum was still active and running, so I signed myself up and introduced myself on the platform.

I went on to spend my spare hours delving into other people’s theories, falling in love with artists interpretations on paper and participating in your general word association game. The more time I spent on the forum, the more I would get to know the familiar faces. It was safe to say that I soon became one of the familiar faces and I guess, began to make friendships.

I did, indeed, make friendships. Who knew that, after sending one private message to a lady called Clare, I would be meeting up with her months later in the Isle of Wight, where I was going on holiday, and spending an entire day with a person I had met online, through the shared interest of Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch. Crazy, right?! Well, it only continued.

After expressing my love through Twitter, I began to find more and more people who were just in love with the show and the actor, and we went beyond just talking about it. We became friends, we spoke about life, we spoke about our troubles, and we met up at events where Benedict was attending.

An actor, who I discovered through a TV show, has allowed me to travel the country with people I met online. Such a crazy statement to read, right?! But it’s been the best.

My best friends have all come from Twitter because we all like the same things. They come from all over the country, and all over the world! All of this has been possible, thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch.

It’s incredibly surreal and it still blows me away each and every day. To think that I would never have met the people I call my best friends if I hadn’t been curious that one New Year’s Day.

All of this has saved me. Bold statement, I know, but it’s true. When I entered the fandom, if you want to put it like that, I was going through an incredibly rough time in my life. And the distraction of being able to make my way through Benedict’s IMDb list, and speak to my friends on forums and twitter, it saved me. And I can’t thank anybody enough.


Thank you, seems like such a small phrase to say to somebody who has made a huge impact on my life. Benedict is much more to me than just an actor, he is an inspiration.

He has always carried the power to make all of us, all of his fans, as one. He can make a whole room of strangers feel like best friends.

The majority of people’s perceptions of the word hero includes a cape and a mission to save the world, to make it a better place. Benedict manages to do that without a cape yet still manage to save terrified men and women from the problems they currently face. He is a real-life hero, the very definition of the word. We are incredibly lucky, to have somebody like him, to look up to, to help us.

Benedict is just an everyday person, doing what he loves, but he serves a much wider purpose. Benedict and his work are the lifelines to many, including myself. I have spent many years of my life, investing it into Benedict’s work, into the things he does for a living, in hope to find myself.

The many hours spent in my bedroom weren’t as lonely as they could have been if it wasn’t for his work.

All my success may have been my own, but it has been the light that Benedict has shown which has got me on that path. It’s a long and winding path, and I’m still yet to reach the end, but at least I’m still going. I’ve found a few potholes, but I’ve also stumbled upon beautiful scenery, in the form of friends. Who would have thought that just by doing his job, he has saved a life of a girl?

Some people may see this blog post as pathetic, but everybody is different, and everybody has a different thing that saves them. For me, it has been in the form of an actor, who, no matter what else has been going on around me, has kept my eyes focused on what is yet to come. What better things are yet to come.

Happy Birthday, Benedict Cumberbatch. I hope you have a day filled with all that you deserve.