© Frederic Auerbach

I've known Benedict Cumberbatch for 14 years and it's been wonderful to witness his ­meteoric rise, but I've always known it would happen.

The Imitation Game is the first time we've worked together. I had wondered what kind of performance I'd see him give in taking on Alan Turing. It's another extremely intelligent, isolated man, so is it going to be Sherlock? But, from day one, it had a completely ­different rhythm.

I don't want to sound like I'm kissing his arse, but it's award-worthy in my mind. He can do the lot - it's really depressing!

There's a worrying trend, especially in America, that the bigger you get, the less likely you are to hang around to provide the eye lines when the camera turns to your co-stars. You just sort of stop trying. It's rubbish, and Benedict certainly hasn't changed into anything like that, which is thrilling to see.

If you speak to people in the know, such as the directors at The National Theatre, they would say that this man has always been an incredible talent. Sherlock simply let the rest of the world know it too.

He's coping with the fame pretty well. He's still living in the same flat that he always did. I keep telling him that he should move from it - he's overlooked from north, south, east and west!

He is always best at the end of your sofa with a couple of bottles of rosé or Merlot inside him. Take the actor away from the cameras and all the bollocks and stick him in your front room and that's when you get to take a position on whether he's still a good bloke, and he certainly is.

Oh, and he's also an animal lover. You got it out of me! That's the headline... and put the accent on "animal".

*The Imitation Game is out on 14 November. *

*Suit £2,000

Shirt £200 Bow tie £90 Cufflinks £90. All by Spencer Hart.

Fragrance Boss, £55.*

Benedict was shot at The Eliot Hotel, Boston.

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