Did Benedict Cumberbatch & Sophie buy a country home on the Isle of Wight?

FFN_VanityFairB_KM_022215_51662417

I spend too much time thinking about Benedict Cumberbatch’s living arrangements. I admit that at the very beginning. Bendy owns a place in London and he’s a regular at his parents’ home in the country (he’s even brought journalists there for interviews). But now that he’s all grown up and married with a baby on the way, will Benedict and Sophie Hunter buy themselves a bigger pad in London, plus a small pile in the country, as the English aristocrats do? Well… maybe. There’s a rumor going around that Benedict and Sophie have purchased a home on the Isle of Wight, off the Southern coast of England.

Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter have bought a house on the Isle of Wight according to the Mail on Sunday. The newspaper said on Sunday that it could exclusively reveal the Imitation Game and Sherlock star had bought “a pad on the Isle of Wight, near the village where he married theatre director Sophie Hunter in February.”

As reported, Imitation Game and Sherlock star Benedict and theatre director Sophie returned to the Isle of Wight this month, when they were spotted enjoying a romantic meal at the Sun Inn, Hulverstone, the same pub they visited the day after their wedding at Mottistone.

The Mail on Sunday reported Oscar nominee Benedict also recently viewed a £10.8 million house in California and bought a £3 million property in North London.

[From IWCP]

I still don’t believe Benedict was seriously looking at that mansion in LA. I mean, he might have looked at it, but he wasn’t seriously considering a move to LA. But I’ll believe he bought a bigger London home, for sure. He’s going to be working in and around London for likely the next year, doing back-to-back projects (Doctor Strange will be filming in England too). But a little place in the country? Hm. I also wonder just how rich Sophie’s family really is. Her family paid a lot of money for the quickie wedding, and I’m kind of wondering if the wealthy family purchased a little country estate for the newlyweds too. I’m not saying Benedict couldn’t afford it on his own – he could. But I get the feeling he’s pretty cheap and he wouldn’t want a place in the country anyway, considering he’s a workaholic who never takes time off.

FFN_Snapper_Cumberbatch_B_041215_51709114

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

170 Responses to “Did Benedict Cumberbatch & Sophie buy a country home on the Isle of Wight?”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. PunkyMomma says:

    Just loverly.

    • Two degrees says:

      I love them together. So English. I want to see a at home with the Cumberbatch’s ,photo spread in Country Life. 🙂

      • bread says:

        I’d love that as well. Any combination of those two’s pretentiousness, especially about home decoration (Can you see opera in the choice of kitchen sink? Will the curtains be made on 18th century looms? Is the whole house just “an embarrassment of riches”?) in one article would be enough hilarity to last me a week!

      • Two degrees says:

        I think they are sweet together and I just love English houses , the history English houses and English decor.

    • MoxyLady007 says:

      Wow. In that top pic they look so much alike.

    • wiffie says:

      If it’s not too dear…

  2. Hudson Girl says:

    His haircut is amazingly flattering in that navy raincoat pic. He looks GOOD.

  3. Lindy79 says:

    Everything about them seems contrived so, yeah I’d buy this story

  4. Size Does Matter says:

    Given our discussions yesterday in the Jon Snow thread regarding what exactly a “wight” is, that sounds like a really horrible place for a summer home. Or any kind of home, for that matter.

    • Sixer says:

      The Wight in Isle of Wight isn’t the Old English/Old Saxon/Proto-Germanic “thing, demon”. It comes from Latin “vectis”. It means “place of division”.

    • Zandy says:

      What a silly thing to say! Isle of Wight is a small island between England and France, with great weather and architecture. Educate yourself first before making such comments please. And last thing, it’s not the place you live that makes you happy!!!

      • Size Does Matter says:

        Oh, boy. Clearly you are not a Game of Thrones fan or you would have gotten my joke. And please don’t trouble yourself over my education. It has been extensive and is continuing. Now excuse me while I warg myself to a more hospitable location.

      • P'enny says:

        “And last thing, it’s not the place you live that makes you happy!!!”

        It can certainly make one unhappy, take it from someone who knows.

      • Bridget says:

        This one really made me laugh today. Are Cumberbatch posts just not the appropriate place to make a joke?

    • Sixer says:

      I got the joke, SDM, but re-reading my own post looks humourless. Not intended, sorry!

      FWIW, I think the Isle of Wight is an astoundingly boring place. (Sorry any Wighters reading).

      • Kiddo says:

        An ‘Astoundingly Boring Place’ just doesn’t have the classy ring to it like ‘Isle of Wight’. But are there only wight people there? lol

      • Size Does Matter says:

        That’s okay, Sixer. I didn’t think you were coming after me – my response wasn’t directed at you. I do appreciate the info you provided.

        This is what I get for inserting an oblique GoT reference into a Cumberbatch thread. I just don’t take kindly to being called uneducated by someone who knows nothing. About me! Knows nothing about me – another GoT reference. People are welcome to call me unfunny. That’s a matter of opinion. Whether I am educated is not.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Perfect for an astoundingly boring couple

      • Kiddo says:

        Oh, Stop it with the fake boredom. Isn’t fake baby and fake bird enough for you?

      • Sixer says:

        The Isle of Wight has a big ol’ prison, Queen Victoria’s hideaway, a few toffs doing sailing, and a load of beach arcades reminiscent of the 1950s. I. Do. Not. Like. It. There. Astoundingly so.

        It does host a big annual music festival. So I declare it acceptable for one weekend per year.

        (SDM – I regard it as a poor day on the internet if I don’t get shouted at and/or misunderstood by at least one person. If you look at it that way, being shouted at is funny rather than annoying. That’s my Sixer advice du jour!)

      • MtnRunner says:

        For a couple that honeymooned in Boring Boring, perhaps Wight is Right for them.

      • Bridget says:

        Hodor!

      • laughing girl says:

        Sixer, old girl, let me buy you a drink. I like you.

      • Sixer says:

        Bottoms up, laughing girl!

      • hermia says:

        But they chose it because she has family connections there! She’s posh, dontcha know???
        Apparently, at the summit he’s been moaning about the Oscars and people taking sneaky pics. I don’t know if he meant the paps who snapped them while they dozed off at that gas pump. Anyway, I bet you anything he accepted to speak at this Adobe gig because (aside from the money) he wanted to moan about fame and social media. It’s just like him to moan and get paid for it.

      • mimif says:

        HODOR! Two wargs don’t make a wight. 😉

      • j says:

        @hermia

        he didn’t moan about the oscars, said it was a honor and stuff but also nerve-inducing and whirlwindish. the sneak pic thing was funny and not remotely played as serious. he only actually complained about the media, but said nothing that wasn’t true or common sense there

        tbh don’t get info from skeptic blogs. that whole thing has devolved into people who don’t know what they’re talking about commenting. i could post he killed 12 kittens and they’d be passing that along as true for days

      • Phoebe says:

        Don’t you mean it’s just like HER to moan and get paid for it? ZING!

      • hermia says:

        @J Actually I listened to the recording and I can summarize it thus: I am famous, very famous, so famous, ergo I whinge and moan and whine.
        Besides, accepting (for money) to speak at an Adobe summit and use that platform as an excuse (once again) to talk about himself kind of negates all of his protests about just wanting to work and be private. You don’t see the serious actors he always mentions (DD Lewis to name one) go to the opening of every envelope.

        @phoebe Snap! 🙂

  5. Grace says:

    That’s the dorkiest pic of them yet

  6. Franca says:

    If I had a job like him, which isn’t bound to one place, I’d live somewhere in the country, the more isolated the better.

    • **sighs** says:

      But they already have so many comfortable pap opportunities and people who tweet about them there, it’s probably the easiest on everyone involved.

  7. Nayru says:

    This posh unlikeable british couple are so tired I need a nap

  8. loli says:

    Meanwhile, at Adobe Summit, the nesting bird has just swept the corporate world off the feet with his profound insights into their profession. ”Make sure you have your assets prepared,”he said.

    • Lindy79 says:

      He’s speaking at the Adobe Summit? What about, the movie industry and marketing etc? (genuinely curious as I know they’ve had movie/tv people speak in the past)

      Suppose he’ll be giving out about social media and invading his privacy.

      Oh I just logged on, Michael Keaton speaking. That’ll do nicely!

      • **sighs** says:

        Anything to not be home with the busy little bee keeping the home fires burning.

      • Cee says:

        hahaha BC should be the last person to talk about Social Media when he has zero presence in it! RDJ would be a better choice. Or even Taylor Swift.

      • Green Girl says:

        Taylor Swift would be an EXCELLENT choice, and I am 100% not sarcastic when I say that.

      • Cee says:

        @Green Girl – I believe Taylor Swift is the best at branding, creating engagement and building “stories” on social media. Adobe should have called her.

    • Cee says:

      I’m sorry, but what could he possibly say? Stick to what you know, BC.

      • Lindy79 says:

        Maybe something about social media marketing for movies?

        I agree given he has zero presence and has actually moaned A LOT about social media and his privacy it’s a weird choice but if he was coming from a place of movie promotion instead it would make more sense?

      • An says:

        It was surprisingly good and well received.

        They covered a mix of things, a lot of it had to do with media perception and marketing.

      • Lindy79 says:

        Let me guess, was he a bit negative about media perception or did he at least acknowledge he plays a part in it?

      • Cee says:

        @Lindy79 – That’s exactly what I meant to say. He has no social media presence, none at all. His PR might pass on messages to one Twitter user, but that doesn’t equate to having a presence.

        I doubt he has any experience in digital marketing and social media strategies to promote a movie (he might have one after Dr Strange, Marvel is very good at digital marketing). I suppose he can talk about being the (former) Internet’s Boyfriend and blogs. But that doesn’t amount to much, IMHO (and I could be wrong, but this is what I do for a living).

      • An says:

        Both, Lindy79, talked about negatives, positives, what it can and can’t do, etc.

      • hermia says:

        I know you don’t need to be elegant at an Adobe summit, but can I just say he could have made a bit of an effort?
        He dresses like he should be outside selling The Big Issue.
        There’s casual and there’s “always wearing the same s*hit everywhere.”
        Unless he’s depressed, which would explain the need for “comfort clobber”.

  9. Boston Green Eyes says:

    My dream place to own a cottage in England would be Cornwall. I lived in St. Ives for a bit and it was like living in a fairy tale. This was back in the 80s, though, and maybe things aren’t as fantastical as it was back then.

    • Franca says:

      Mine would be more up north, somewhere like Shetland Islands ( I know that’s Scotland).

    • Miss Jupitero says:

      I trekked all over the UK back in the eighties! Ni shortage of fairytale villages…..

      • Boston Green Eyes says:

        Yes! So did I! Got a BritRail pass and went everywhere for a month. I ended up in St. Ives and instead of going back to London, stayed on and rented a flat that looked over Carbis Bay! It only cost £25/week!

        Sigh. I miss the 80s…

      • Miss Jupitero says:

        I had an opportunity to buy waterfront property in Westport Mayo (Ireland) for a mere 10K. I should have pounced on it. Yes, I miss the eighties as well.

        I finally ended up in Yorkshire. Loved it so much I decided not to go back to London. Came back home only when I absolutely ran out of money and couldn’t stay any longer.

      • Lucrezia says:

        Ni shortage? So no knights I presume …. did you at least encounter a shrubbery?

        (Sorry, know it was a typo but simply couldn’t resist a Monty Python reference on a Brit thread.)

      • Sixer says:

        Lucrezia, knowing Miss Jupitero, she ran into the bunch of recalcitrant peasants practising anarcho-syndicalism. She farted in their general direction.

    • Sixer says:

      St Ives (the Cornwall one) is lovely! Very artsy and super-picturesque. When he’s not imagining himself to be a Viking, Mr Sixer likes the idea of having Cornish blood. His parents lived in Falmouth for a while before decamping off to Madrid.

    • MtnRunner says:

      I want to live in Nairn. Access both beach and mountains and SWINTON would suit me just fine.

    • Green Girl says:

      If I had money, I’d totally buy a country home in England for summer. So I’m mostly jealous that BC can buy such a home!

  10. P'enny says:

    I feel sorry for the Isle of Wight, it was bad enough the have a prison, and a riot of a rock festival, and now they will have these two and their sprogs.

    • Felice. says:

      The comment sections of their IoW news stories are always so sassy. The locals hate them.

    • DameEdna says:

      Yeah, but Mr Leonard Cohen quelled that Isle of Wight riot. Out of his head on Mandrax (allegedly)…….by the end of the second song, the mob which had been baying for Kris Kristofferson’s blood were as putty in his hands.

      And when he sang ” The Partisan “………

  11. Miss Jupitero says:

    Vera, Chuck, and Dave…..

  12. Miss Jupitero says:

    I’m craving ga place on the coast, maybe Lyme Regis– yes, I’m watching The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Failing that, the Lake District.

    • Sixer says:

      I’m only about 30 minutes in the car from Lyme Regis! Bit more than that from the Lake District. 😉

      • Miss Jupitero says:

        Do you swan about on the breakers in a cloak perchance? That is what I would do.

      • Sixer says:

        No, but we go rock-pooling and do all that hippy dippy gathering of wild food! And the Sixlets spend forever fossil hunting.

      • Miss Jupitero says:

        Fossil-hunting! I would live for that!

        Wanna go!

      • Sixer says:

        Lyme Regis is the destination of choice for all the local geography school field trips – it’s part of the Jurassic Coast national heritage site and fossils abound. Plus, there’s good ice cream!

    • MtnRunner says:

      After seeing Hogg’s Archepelago, I’d love to run around Isles of Scilly.

    • hermia says:

      And Persuasion…. 🙂

      • P'enny says:

        oh yes, silly girl falling off and spraining her ankle. Captain Wentworth was not amused. 🙂

  13. loli says:

    I just feel masks are falling one by one, and we finally catch a glimpse of his true face. No boyish rock’n’roll dorkiness, no, just coming of age of an infantile posh boy with his bourgeois class instincts firmly in place.

    • wahine992 says:

      I agree, @loli. His choice of her as his “now and forevermore” (gag!) speaks volumes about what his priorities in life are. Poshness, pretentiousness and class “suitability.”

      • Oy vey says:

        Wahine, that’s the first thing I thought when she was announced as “now & forevermore.” I simply can’t see what else she brings to the table. But I don’t know what to think anymore. I’d be sad if it always was just all an act. I guess I’ve come to the conclusion that she changed him. We’re always changed by the people we love. It’s just too bad that her influence is such a stinking bummer.

    • Canlie says:

      Can barely get through an interview making sense or sell a romance but he was capable of maintaining an entirely different image for years? Completely contradictory, both can’t be true. Nervous breakdown territory is the more plausible.

      • **sighs** says:

        My theory is that he’s always wanted to be the super posh-y, but probably never *quite* fit it. Parents not *quite* rich enough, not *quite* handsome enough, not *quite* cool enough, etc… And now he has currency through fame and he’s using it to fraternize with the upper echelons.

        It looks like it’s making him miserable though. Is it worth it?

      • Canlie says:

        Too complicated, **sighs**.

        It’s probably a more professional PR person or strategist sat him down and told him/showed him he was an Internet joke because of the way he acts, that his fans don’t give two f*#ks about him, and he needs to come off more serious if he wants longevity instead of being a passing fad. So now he’s got to try and act “normal” and avoid embarrassing himself while knowing all the above.

      • loli says:

        I know, rehashing old stuff, but I cannot believe how seriously he apparently meant it when he said he wanted to be like Tietjens…

      • **sighs** says:

        I think this started out as pr, but it went very badly awry.

      • Sixer says:

        I honestly don’t think he ever had an aristocratic inferiority complex. I mean, his antecedents were all colonial bigwigs in the days of empire. His pedigree is as good as anyone’s in that set.

        He’s just being who he is and who he always was.

      • hermia says:

        I don’t know about inferiority complex, but he wants badly into that crowd. You can tell by the company he keeps. He’s always gushing about people like Martin Freeman, but he prefers to hang out with the Eton and Harrow set. Don’t think it’s a coincidence. He’s like the boy who cried posh.

      • Mathieu says:

        And he is a laughingstock in posh people for his shady wife now.

      • Felice. says:

        @Mathieu
        How do you know?

    • anon121 says:

      @Loli-I absolutely believe that Tietjens was Ben’s favorite character. He’s always had a sort of old world awkwardness to him. Witness the verbal gaffes. Sadly, I think he’s going to end up playing him in real life.

      • hermia says:

        Teitjens is a glorified m*ron, who raises another man’s child and is unhappy for years.. So yep, totally believable

      • loli says:

        Paradoxally, I like Sylvia Tietjens more than Sophie Cumberbatch lol.

        But yes, I’ve just realized how accurate the parallel is! Trapped into a marriage by a pregnancy (whether the child is his or not), doing the right thing, holding up a parade for the sake of it…Yesh, a glorified moron he is.

      • hermia says:

        I do too, because she doesn’t see art, theatre and opera everywhere and she calls it how it is. But then again, BC wouldn’t like someone like that, Not brilliant enough.

  14. anon121 says:

    I feel kind of sad if the 3 million pound north london one is true. He’s lived in Hampstead for years, bought up all the flats in his building in order to make a dream home. I remember an article from 2011 where he had to fight neighbors in order to put up glass and brass railings on his deck. He’s always talked fondly of having the heath in his back yard and escaping on his roof while watching the birds. I even remember the quote “I’m building a home in the center of London that I want to fill with life, love, and children”. If the new house rumor is true, then I really hope she didn’t force him into it. He really seems to be a heath guy, not so much center of London. And it does seem that he’d be walking away from a lot of memories, not to mention work.
    Regarding the Isle of Wight-I know it has a temperate climate due to the Gulf Stream. Nice place to go and relax. I thought he always wanted a place in Brighton?

    • Lindy79 says:

      He might not sell the London place? It would be an ideal base for work etc. He’d be an idiot to sell it if you ask me.

      • anon121 says:

        @Lindy-I kind of thought that would probably be in the cards. Sort of hope so. He’s made such a big deal of how perfect it was for him.

        @Froop-good point about the nannies. And chefs. And housekeepers. And bodyguards. God knows they’re both too busy to manage a home. 😉

        @P’enny-I personally wouldn’t care about an ex as long as my hubby was happy. Oh wait-that’s me. I believe the realtor’s tweet mentioned Camden? I’m American and really don’t know London, but a quick Wiki search says Hampstead is a village within Camden?

      • P'enny says:

        @anon121

        My knowledge of London boroughs is not brilliant. He reportedly lives in NW3, at the moment, bottom of Hampstead Heath, he is possibly moving to Kentish Town area, NW1 the neighbourhood of Ed Milliband. Which both are still under Camden.

        If anyone is concerned about privacy, these postcodes are very very big areas of looong streets of houses that look the same. no one would have a clue which one he was moving in. I am revealing nothing that can’t be found out in general public.

        And, it may not be true it’s just because a silly man on twitter thought he was.

      • hermia says:

        If he moves from Gospel Oak to Kentish Town it may mean he simply bought the house next door. To explain: a friend of mine works in Gospel Oak (by the Heath) and the nearest tube station is Kentish Town 🙂

      • P'enny says:

        @hermia

        maybe not so big then, lol, he won’t have to pay ‘Moves’ a lot of money then to shift some boxes.

      • **sighs** says:

        Penny- you have to pay money just to move?

    • Froop says:

      The new place is in the same area as he lives now. The old one probably wasn’t big enough for a family, and the obligatory live-in nannies they’ll need because she’s just sooo busy.

    • P'enny says:

      yeah, but no new wife/girlfriend wants to live in a house that another long standing ‘ex’ has been part of.

      I would be one of those that goes… mmmm lets move.

      Plus, too many fan girls know where he lives, that particular part of Hampstead is very busy he’s already been spied on. He may want somewhere with more privacy and a garden. it’s not like he can’t afford it.

      in fact wasn’t the rumour he was moving into the same area as Ed Milliband, which is more North and surburban. still means he will pay mansion tax :-p

      • hermia says:

        I wouldn’t mind as long as the ghost of Rebecca wasn’t still there. 🙂

      • Green Girl says:

        P’enny, I would want to move, too. Especially if the ex had a say in purchasing the place, was involved in renovations, picked out the paint scheme and furniture, and so on. That’s way too personal for me.

  15. MtnRunner says:

    Off topic, but directed at you Brits. I’ve been sucked into Happy Valley and wondering where the accent is from. I think 4 episodes into the series I’m finally able to discipher 90% of what’s being said as I tune my ear to it.

    • **sighs** says:

      Isn’t it set in west Yorkshire? That’s in the north, I believe?

      (Sorry I’m not a Brit- hope I didn’t screw that up– I studied in London for a bit and there was this trio of kids from Yorkshire and their accent was great. I loved listening to them talk).

      • P'enny says:

        “Isn’t it set in west Yorkshire? That’s in the north, I believe?”

        yes, and a big but, the main star Sarah Lancashire is from Oldham which is Greater Manchester and has a fab accent of it’s own. Where Prof Brian Cox [love] lives.

      • MtnRunner says:

        So she’s effecting a different accent? She’s even cooler than I thought.

      • P'enny says:

        don’t know, I havn’t seen it.

    • frisbeejada says:

      West Yorkshire. I’m impressed by your determination to understand it. I’m British and some of our accents – although lovely (like Geordie) I find hard to decipher when they really get going!

      • MtnRunner says:

        That’s interesting that it’s not just a Yank who has trouble with it. It’s something I’ve been slowly tuning my ear to. The kid on the show (Ryan?) is particularly difficult to understand. He slides past a lot of consonants, contrary to the poshies that seem to spit them all out!

        I have a harder time with Geordie… baby steps!

      • frisbeejada says:

        Little known fun fact. There are over 600 different local dialects in England alone. That’s not counting Scotland, Wales, Ireland. Then think about all the dialects in North America, Australia, New Zealand. This is why it really irritates me when people talk about ‘proper English’ there’s no such thing…

      • Sixer says:

        Yes, Yorkshire. It’s the same accent as Last Tango In Halifax, MtnRunner, also written by Sally Wainwright. She writes working class/lower middle class stories about the area she grew up and focuses on the women characters. I truly love that woman.

        BTW – further recommendation if you ever see it about on a streaming service: Inside No 9, a series of one act playlets by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. The one in the second series starring Sheridan Smith is a little thing of absolute beauty.

        @frisbeejada

        I agree. And I get particularly annoyed when dialect speakers are picked up for incorrect grammar, when actually they are using correct grammar for the dialect (which is often Anglo Saxon or Nordic in origin, without the influence of Norman French).

      • Charlie says:

        I’m not a native speaker, yet I can understand most English people really well? I mean. I could understand Sarah Millican just fine the first time I saw her and her accent is quite thick? And the Geordie Shore cast. And Kevin Bridges? Why is that? Or were they speaking more slowly or something?

        Speaking of accents, is it just the pronunciation that is different? If it was written down could you all understand eachother?
        I’m from the inland here in Croatia, but I have a hard time understaing people from the coast if they speak in their own dialect. Different words, different grammar, etc. So it would be the same if it was written down.

      • Boston Green Eyes says:

        I remember back in the 80s there was a comedy show where everyone spoke in the Glasgow dialect and no one could understand a word they were saying.

        So I guess even Brits have a hard time with the dialects.

      • Sixer says:

        @ Charlie – there is quite a bit of difference in grammar with some of the dialects. Vocabulary, personal pronouns, reflexive pronouns, word order, verb participles and conjugations – all sorts.

        @ Boston Green Eyes – a very thick Glaswegian accent is probably the hardest to understand.

      • MtnRunner says:

        Sixer, you are the primary culprit in growing my list of Amazon watch list videos. Both LTiH and IN9 are in the queue.

        Green Eyes, as much as I love all thing Scottish, I have yet to really tune my ear to the thick Glaswegian accent. Perhaps solitary confinement with 24/7 TV viewing would speed the process.

      • P'enny says:

        Has anyone heard Michael Socha giving lessons in how to speak Derby 😀 i love how he writes his sentences on his twitter page. He is a very cute and lovely actor who played a puppy werewolf in Being Human. He has now moved to America, i believe, and is in Once Upon a Time.

        He has amazing eyebrows.

      • **sighs** says:

        OMG penny yes, he has amazing eyebrows. And he can be difficult to understand at times. Maybe I need to watch those lessons.

    • Margret says:

      Don’t know what I’d do without the close caption feature on my remote. I get so much more out of all my favorite British shows. Now watching Wolf Hall and between the period language and the various accents I don’t miss any dialogue.

  16. Fairweather says:

    @hermia…I love Cumby threads b/c I love ur comments!
    But really, enough with these 2. He’s uncomfortable with all this fame and the pap shots and invasion of privacy, stop doing these types of things and just focus on acting for the love of Pete. If he does that, maybe he won’t have the other probs he whines about.

    • lindy79 says:

      Yep. I dont mind him being posh or using his life for pr. I mind when he lies about it and says he doesnt and moans about privacy while acting above it and journos in general and gives out about his fans taking shots when for years he encouraged them and expected them to pay to meet him at cons (and its his fans who are the ones taking the sneaky shots he so loathes, not the rest of us)
      Plenty of actors have great careers but you see very little of them outside of that because they have no desire for it. Ben aint one of those people as his whole 2014 kind of shows. Nothing wrong with it but own it

      Will he be a show for the MET Gala….

      • An says:

        I’ve mixed feelings on the sneaky shots (and the media, honestly). Anyone has a right to be annoyed/pissed at those shots, and I can’t generate an ounce of pity for people who do it. It’s not a privacy matter, as it’s done in public, it’s more rude and a sign of disrespect. And the picture takers know it, that’s exactly why they hide.

        Not sure what’s he doing going forward, it’ll be interesting to see.

      • anon121 says:

        @Lindy-Good question about the Met. Seems our fave stylist Joe Woolf just posted on a lovely 3 piece suit. Seeing as his tweets seem to be mostly about Ben, the Met may be on. I’ve always thought a 5/5 due date so this will be interesting!

      • lindy79 says:

        I do agree on the sneaky shots. Its not nice and i dont agree with it but… its life unfortunately and this is the 4th or 5th time hes said a variation of “everyones a paparazzi “. He used to say just ask for a photo but he seems to even changed that. His “oh here we go” comment during that interview was quite telling.
        Its difficult because he owes no one anything but… his fame is and still is largely not as big as he likes to think it is. I truly believe he has bought his own hype and its not a great look on him. He wants the fame not just the acting but hates what comes with it so acts pissy about it.
        I also dont think hes papped half as much as he thinks. The only ones you see are, i believe, the workof his pr. He and she go about their business in london and are rarely seen.

      • hermia says:

        Actors like Cillian Murphy and James McAvoy manage to live in London and not be hassled by paps. Because, guess what? They don’t want the attention. Bendy clearly wants it, then cries because he gets too much of it.
        Just tell us Bendy, to what degree do you want your fame? Just give us a formula and we’ll work with it!

      • **sighs** says:

        Lindy- yes! I don’t really care how posh or not or pr happy he is either ( I simply have theories about these things) — but he needs to just own that $hit. Don’t whine about your fans getting sneaky pics when you’re calling paps to take pics on your honeymoon. Stop complaining about the price of fame when you go to the opening of any envelope.

      • Dara says:

        **sighs**, my sentiments exactly! I don’t know why he keeps bringing it up – a huge chunk of his Adobe chat was devoted to it. Suck it up already and get on with your life. If his notoriety is so burdensome then why sign on to Doctor Strange? A leading role in a Marvel movie will only amplify all the things he’s groaning on about.

        Here’s an idea – if all this is making him miserable, then Benedict and his theatre-director wife should take his nest egg and buy some farm out in the middle of nowhere and produce edgy, avant-garde productions in the barn. She can design and direct and he can star. They get to immerse themselves in their art without all that pesky fame and fortune and the rest of us can get on with our lives and not be continually shamed and mocked by the actor we are (or should I say were) fans of.

      • hermia says:

        @Dara It’s a great idea! Let’s suggest it to him! Go to some remote place and produce an avant-garde version of the Wicker Man. Very hot, very definitive! Much art, very opera. And we can then move on to actors who enjoy the attention. And yes, I’m talking about you Tommy boy! 🙂

    • From over here says:

      But Fairweather, if he does that he won’t be famous anymore. And is everyone certain a home was purchased?

      • Fairweather says:

        From over here….he’ll still be famous but his private life will be just that. I agree with Lindy79 above. Own it already and stop playing both sides. I agree that those “papped” shots are him working with them, not hiding from them. If he only does acting gigs, maybe people will stop talking about him/them but that may be what he fears most.

  17. seesittellsit says:

    This way they can have “privacy” after the baby is born. Now that no awards except for the TV BAFTAS are in the offing, Cumberbatch’s private life will actually become private for real. Especially if the baby doesn’t look like either of them.

    • Fairweather says:

      That last comment made me laugh out. Very true!

    • hermia says:

      And I bet that suit his stylist is shilling on twitter is for the BAFTAS. I wonder what SH will wear, considering she’s a gazillion months preggo.

    • P'enny says:

      the baby would have to pop out with bright orange hair and green for anyone to doubt that. Bendy dies his hair, i am not actually sure what his natural colour is anymore and Sophie’s is a bit Clairol too.

  18. Janet Planet says:

    I think you meant to say: “Did Bland and Bland buy a bland on the Bland?”

  19. Timbuktu says:

    I have to ask: where is the notion that he is “cheap” coming from? Do we have his own statements? Other people’s comments?
    All *I* remember reading is how he loves bespoke suits and such, and (I think) ran up a huge credit card debt buying clothes when he first started doing Sherlock and making decent money. That doesn’t sound cheap or thrifty. Granted, the novelty of bespoke suits may have worn out and he may have calmed down, but that still doesn’t necessarily amount to “cheap”. He could still be blowing ridiculous amounts of money, just more deliberately and on bigger things, such as real estate.

    • hermia says:

      I mentioned elsewhere that I know a guy who works in Savile Row and up to a year or so ago, BC used to borrow suits off the peg from them. This friend of mine was also under the impression that BC was a bit tight with money. But then again, it may be he doesn’t like to spend money on clothes. It makes sense, as he’s always wearing the same 2 things when “off duty”.

  20. anon121 says:

    So Kate gave birth to a princess thisorning. 12 weeks was 10/20 and she was due 4/25. If you go with a 11/2 12 week date for Sophie (the day of the actual proposal), then she’s due 5/8. I’m sticking with the 5th. Let the cumber child watch commence!

    • Dara says:

      Isn’t Keira Knightley due about now too? That’s the star-child I’m more excited about seeing.

  21. Atlas says:

    Commonsense tells me the Cumberchild has already arrived, after he returned from China but before the Sherlocked Con.

    • hermia says:

      She was seen with him 2 days ago in London. You’d think people would have noticed if she’d already popped. The plot thickens. We’ll see if she goes to the BAFTAs or to the MET ball.

    • anon121 says:

      @Atlas-that would take some incredible timing, or scheduling. It would, though, give her more time to prepare for her productions and scary walk, especially as her husband’s going to be a wee bit busy shortly.

      @Hermia-if those 2 were out and about and she had birthed the child, and said child was not present, then I would srsly side eye those 2 (even more than now). Although it could explain why he’s so keen to stay away.

  22. hermia says:

    On a totally different note, I have seen Olivia Poulet in Product and she’s amazing. Great performer with impeccable comic timing.
    If you are in London, go see!

  23. Atlas says:

    @Anon121, timing is a core skill of entertainers BC/SH (the one notable exception being the timing snafu at Q restaurant, London, when arrivals were too close together and she was photographed.
    After June last year the imperative was to avoid being photographed together so that he could shift Hamlet tix, build the TIG campaign momentum (as still seemingly a single man) and time the engagement/first pix together to the TIG NYC prem for mass coverage.
    Which it all did, splendidly.
    Fast forward to late April: timing/scheduling a child’s arrival? Call the obgyn, book In for C-section. Textbook deliveries: up walking next day, out of hosp within 3 days.
    @hermia. Good tailoring during pregnancy continues post partum.

    • anon121 says:

      @Atlas-There was a MUCH bigger timing snafu than Quags. (Hint-in the shotgun camp)

    • hermia says:

      @Atlas Yes, they have been quite calculating haven’t they? Personally, I think the most distasteful thing BC has done was to appear alone at the LFF in October, when she was already expecting. Considering her bad mood (widely reported before anyone knew of their engagement) and the dress she was wearing, I bet she expected to walk the red carpet and was told at the last minute it wasn’t happening. Which would explain why she wore the same dress in NYC, a sort of “that’ll show ya!”,

    • hermia says:

      By the way, I don’t think that was a snafu. Anyone familiar with the London celeb scene would know Q would be risky: paps are always hanging around such places. They could have gone to a nice restaurant in North London (for example) and no one would have noticed them. They did it on purpose, whatever they may say.

  24. Pushkar says:

    You would only have a c-section for a valid medical reason, not sure you can choose them here but I could be wrong. Can’t imagine them choosing one, I’ve have two (both my boys upside down and facing the wrong way!) and it was a 6 week recovery time, in hospital for a week and out and about in four weeks. With natural birth you can be up and about within hours, like Kate Middleton.

  25. Atlas says:

    @hernia. It was my impression back in Nov that SH wore the same dress so as to game the Google searches/work the SEO. US red carpet /film prems etc have a huge fashion component. Wear same dress NYC as LFF and, given the bigger, all media exposure of TIG NYC courtesy of their announce/first pix manouvres and the HW publicity machine, NYC overrides LFF on searches/ pushes LFF to page 3 , ie the tombs, even for those whose search terms ARE the dress/fashion or her name. To take Manhattan, you bury London. It’s a campaign tool.
    @anon121, the wit that gathers here is why we gather here!

    • hermia says:

      @Atlas Hernia made me laugh! 🙂
      Maybe it’s as you say, but personally I think “opera, art, theatre!” is not so much into SEO (nor are her PR people, judging by their amateurish CV-fluffing). I stand by my opinion, that she was truly annoyed and therefore wore the dress again to make a statement to BC (and his people). She seems the kind of gal who can hold a grudge for centuries.

  26. Felice. says:

    He still has the jag. New pap pics.

    • **sighs** says:

      The man spends absolutely no time at home. And never takes his forevermore anywhere. Is he trying to spend as much time as he possibly can away from her until he just can’t avoid it without looking like the worst father in the world?

      • Chantal says:

        Maybe she kicked him out of the house because he was annoying her, while she is busy with her mood board; preparing for the ART of pushing a baby, screaming in pain melodiously like an OPERA diva in the THEATRE with doctors and nurses as the audience applauding wildly.
        Seriously, I can see him being very annoying. He is big baby. She might be busy pre-preparing for her directing job this summer in order to have less to do after the birth.

      • J says:

        he probably spends more time at home overall than people with 9 to 5 jobs do atm. he’s not seen for days at a time, and we don’t know where he is or what hes doing everyday like ?? lol