He may have missed out on an Oscar this year but at least Benedict Cumberbatch can console himself with the knowledge that he will be able to have a say in who wins at the next ceremony.


The Sherlock star has just been invited to join The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which decides who wins a coveted golden statuette each year.

Also invited is Martin Freeman, who plays Sherlock’s sidekick John Watson on the hit BBC1 show, alongside a host of other British talent.

The list also includes Eddie Redmayne, who pipped Cumberbatch to the best actor Oscar prize for his performance in The Theory of Everything.

Other British invitees include David Oyelowo who gets the nod despite missing out on an Oscar nomination this year for his role as civil rights activist Martin Luther Kind in the film Selma.

Joining him are fellow Britons Tom Hardy, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

The directors Edgar Wright (The World’s End) and Joe Wright (Anna Karenina) have also been asked among a record 322 invitations to new members to join the organisation. This represents a marked increase on the 271 members invited last year.

They join the elite members club of just under 7,000 film luminaries who decide who wins an Oscar by means of a secret ballot which is started every December – the start of the so-called “Oscars season”.

Oscar nominations and wins don’t guarantee an invite to join the Academy, but they automatically make the nominees eligible for consideration.

“It’s very gratifying to see the big increase in gender and people of colour, in age and national origin. It’s a testament to the extraordinary breadth of talent in our industry,” said Academy president Boone Isaacs in a statement.


“Our goal is to recognise filmmaking and talent no matter where you live.”