To anyone who couldnt make it to Cheltenham to hear Benedict Cumberbatch tonight::

the-lemon-is-in-play:

- unfortunately he wasnt allowed to give us any spoilers for season three, but he did say he hoped to bring out a slightly more human side to the character

- when asked about the backstory he imagined for sherlock he said that again, he couldnt say how much it would feature in the series or if there’d be flashbacks (returning to his fallback position of ‘no comment’), but as for his use of it as a tool for playing the part he said he ‘likes to go there sometimes, but it’s a place I like to go by myself’ - obviously a very personal creation and comfort for him

- on crying-on-command he said he tended to draw on the emotions, vulnerabilities and motives of the character he’s playing and noted the importance of delicacy when it comes to balancing those emotions with ones from his own past that he could draw on (and that a certain amount of exhaustion can help sometimes too!)

- on Jonny Lee Miller and his new role in Elementary, he earnestly wished his former co-star well with the production and sought to affirm that any bad remarks in the press were misquoted, fabricated or a case of misinterpreted humour - he thinks the show is ‘fabulous’, loves Jonny’s charisma and presence and really enjoys the reinvention of Watson by Lucy Liu

- the misquotes about Lee Miller prompted him to talk about his recent ‘tall poppy syndrome’ and the problems that can come with increased press attention after taking on larger roles. He said he is now a much more guarded interviewer and conscious of how he comes across, as remarks made with humour are easily misinterpreted by those wishing to draw more attention through (rather minor) scandal

- this also led him to talk about ideas of middle class priviledge and ‘anti-posh bashing’ as he has been talked about by some media as a new spokesman for the posh. He seemed uncomfortable with being put in that position saying that ‘the posh and well-educated are articulate and able to defend themselves - instead of making sweeping generalisations about people we should be focusing on the more important issues surrounding class.’

- when talking about the benefits of fame he mentioned being able to provide a voice for charities and those that didnt have one themselves in the public, mentioning a 40-mile-long cycling trip he is going to take next week from Buckingham Palace for the Prince’s Trust, helping children in Britain who are disadvantaged due to their poor home or school lives.

- he did agree with Loo Brealey’s statement that his look and manner made him well suited to playing the period characters (though she added he of course isnt limited to them), and he responded that it was less him being pigeonholed due to class and more to do with his identification with the characters being so much stronger as he is an ‘old soul’ (a description given to him by a Harrow english teacher during his time there).

- on Parade’s End he said he didnt get a chance to read the books before filming, relying on the script and the trust he placed on his co-stars Rebecca Hall and Adelaide Clemens. After filming began he read the four novels voraciously and ‘fell in love’ with Tietjens, going as far as saying he is the character he most loved playing.

- on preparing for roles he said he’d seen a live autopsy leading up to Frankenstein and spent time depriving himself of sensory prejudices in order to simulate being born again as the monster

- his favourite scene to watch as a viewer and one of his favourites to act as well was the infamous Reichenbach suicide. The side of Sherlock that he got to act as there gave him a chance to find vulnerability and a different kind of emotional depth for the character (even if it was just going through the process imagining how sherlock might create/act out those emotions - actingception?). On auditioning with Martin he said the other actors brought something wonderful and creative to the role but when Martin came in, Benedict’s ‘game went right up’.

And as for the crack moments,

- he forgot to take his jacket off until 45 minutes into the talk, at which point he promptly got up, took of the jacket and danced a little as he moved to unbutton the shirt as well to the sound of many wolfwhistles

- he and loo didnt realise they were being projected onto the screen above them until the Q & A session and Benedict had a minute giggling to himself leaning around the shot and messing with the angles

- Mark Gatiss bought the Sherlock coat for him and he wore it around London before the pilot had aired (something he was sad to say he couldnt repeat now)