Benedict Cumberbatch’s Funniest TV Moments

Kelly Woo
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment

Cumbermania is going to hit peak levels this weekend.

Benedict Cumberbatch, the Oscar-nominated actor/ Sherlock star/ Internet’s boyfriend will be on big screens around the world in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. And his American fans get an extra treat when Cumberbatch hosts Saturday Night Live for the first time tomorrow.

Now, Cumberbatch might seem like an unlikely candidate for the late night comedy sketch show, considering the number of serious dramas on his resume. But the guy clearly has a wicked sense of humor and clever wittiness, which he’s displayed over the years — like on last night’s Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Here’s that clip, plus eight other hilarious Cumberbatch moments.

Mad Lib Theater
In this sketch, Cumberbatch plays a cop interrogating Fallon’s robber — using random nouns and verbs in key places, Mad Libs-style. Neither the actor nor Fallon can get through the whole thing without breaking into giggles. Flibbity-gibbet!

Big Ben
Cumberbatch may be a married man with a kid (and another on the way), but during a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show in the UK, the actor gave us a window into what his video dating profile might look like. Just call him Big Ben, wink wink.

Ice Bucket Challenge
The actor took on friend Tom Hiddleston’s challenge, but to his dismay, discovers he’s got several buckets with his name on them.

Penguin Tripping
As Graham Norton pointed out in 2014, Mr. Cumberbatch has real difficulty saying the word “penguin.” The issue came to light after Cumberbatch served as narrator for the 2009 documentary miniseries Wild Pacific, and Norton delights in teasing him about it here. (The “pengwings” talk begins around 3:30.)

Rickman-off
Cumberbatch’s voice is celebrated for its deep timbre and silky elegance. So, naturally he blew Fallon’s socks off in a challenge to impersonate the late Alan Rickman.

Photobombing
Cumberbatch loves to photobomb his favorite celebs, especially at awards shows, like the Golden Globes…

And the Oscars…

Otter Impersonations
Over the years, fans have pointed out how much Cumberbatch looks like an otter. So, Graham Norton asked the star to do a few of his best otter impressions during a 2015 appearance on his show.

Cumber-Kelly
It’s always funny to bring together two seemingly opposite things — like Cumberbatch reading, with great gravitas, the lyrics to R. Kelly’s “Genius.”