Benedict Cumberbatch reveals all on his lockdown lifestyle and why you should NEVER call Dr Strange's cloak a cape!
The Hollywood star joined Emma B on Prince's Trust Day on Magic Radio
Last updated 15th Oct 2020
Sherlock and Marvel superstar Benedict Cumberbatch joined Magic Radio for our very special Prince’s Trust Day to help raise awareness of the fantastic support the Trust give young people all year round and particularly of late during the pandemic.
Speaking to Emma B on her show on Magic, Benedict shared how he has been enjoying spending time with his family over lockdown. He said:
“It was an absolute delight to be ensconced with them in nature and nurture. That was a great blessing for me. I’m very aware that’s a very fortunate position to be in.”
The actor also shared that he's not impressed by the stereotype that Brits have got lazy over lockdown!
“I don’t know about that generalisation. I think a lot of people have really hit the pavement with their shoes, or gone on a bicycle or gone on walks and been outside in nature. You had Spring here when it hit and I think lot of people took their health very seriously for obvious reasons but also the opportunity to exercise.”
Benedict shared his own experience of getting fit in lockdown. “I did train. I was working out for a job so it was very structured as well. Just super easy, just a walk in the park when you have someone telling you what to do, it’s remarkably easy. Self-motivation is by far the hardest thing to overcome I think when it comes to any kind of exercise really.”
The star who is due to again take on the role of Doctor Strange on the big screen, spoke about why it bugs him when people call his distinct Cloak of Levitation, a cape.
“Of course it’s a bloody cloak. Everyone keeps on calling it a cape. I had it on the other day. It is such an amazing creation. Alex our costume designer on the first film made it, and she’s just extraordinary. It is so detailed and textured and rich. It really does feel sort of alive the way that it is in the film. It’s heavy. It’s a cloak, it’s definitely a cloak.”
He shared that he hasn’t yet taken the cloak home, but thinks he may regret it… “Actors often talk about what they’ve taken. I’ve been really pathetic about that. I think I might.. I mean I’m sure there are bigger regrets I’ll have when it comes to me hanging up said cloak. But I think I might regret not having stolen more. “
For more information on Prince's Trust Day and to donate head to our homepage.
Clap for Carers
Taking place every Thursday night at 8pm, households across the UK and Ireland stepped outside their front doors to thank all key workers throughout the pandemic, clapping along for one minute with neighbours!
The final Clap for Carers took place on the 28th May with the campaign's creator Annemarie Plas thanking everybody for taking part in their masses.
The Daily Coronavirus Briefing
It became the highlight of the day, switching on our TVs at 5pm to see the daily Coronavirus briefing live from Downing Street!
Whether it was Boris himself, Chris Witty, Matt Hancock or Rishi Sunak, million tuned in everyday throughout lockdown to get an update on the figures and rules.
Captain Sir Tom Moore
He was the army veteran who stole the hearts of the nation in lockdown, raising over ÂŁ30 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday!
Captain Tom has now received a knighthood from the Queen, and there's going to be a movie made about his amazing life!
PE with Joe Wicks
Ahh... The lovely Joe Wicks! The Body Coach become the nation's PE teacher with his daily workouts on his YouTube page, with people of all ages getting involved throughout lockdown to keep fit!
Joe decided to donate all profits made to the NHS, with the fitness fanatic going on to raise a massive ÂŁ580,000 following 78 workouts and 80 million views.
Rainbow pictures in windows
They brightened up our windows, doors, walls and let's face it, our days during lockdown!
The colourful designs first started to pop up when Boris Johnson announced the closure of schools, with children being urged to create the pictures to 'spread hope'.
Furlough
A word most of us had never heard of before 2020... But 'furlough' was one of the most-used terms throughout lockdown, after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the scheme would pay for 80% of wages for people who were unable to work during lockdown.
Working from home
For those of us who weren't furloughed, working from home became the norm for a LOT of people!
Rolling out of bed five minutes before your shift, wearing your PJ bottoms in Zoom calls, and watching Netflix whilst 'working' isn't too bad after all is it?
Toilet roll shortage
Absolutely nobody saw this one coming! A world pandemic and people start hoarding... TOILET ROLL!
Yep, we still can't get our heads around this one!
Tiger King
It was the crazy Netfix series that had the world hooked during lockdown... Even if it feels like years ago since we watched the rivalry between Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin!
Homeschooling
After Boris Johnson announced the closure of schools, many parents were left having to homeschool their children, making us all realise just how hard Key Stage 2 maths really is!
Daily walks
It was the one time of the day we were allowed out of the house, so millions of people in the UK made the most of their daily walks!
Baking
If you were lucky enough to find flour on the supermarket shelves, you probably baked some form of banana bread, cookie or brownie during lockdown!
We are basically all Mary Berry now yeah?
Cutting each other's hair
Admit it, you had a go either cutting your own hair or somebody else's hair during lockdown, and it wasn't always 'salon standard'.
Panic buying
Not only was toilet roll sold out practically everywhere, people started to panic buy items such as pasta, rice, flour and eggs, leaving supermarket shelves empty!
Chanel the Parrot
For about three days, everyone in the UK was obsessed with the parrot Chanel, after her owner Sandra Hannah posted a video on Facebook asking for people in her local area in Liverpool to keep an eye out as Chanel had flown away. Thankfully, she was found soon after, and the pair even appeared on This Morning together for an interview with Holly and Phillip!
Zoom quizzes
"Who is making the quiz this week?"
Quizzes become the main source of entertainment through lockdown, with many people making and participating a variety of different daily quizzes.
There's one thing for sure, our IQ has improved!
Normal People
If you didn't fall in love with Normal People's Connell and Marianne during lockdown, were you even in lockdown?
DIY
Our homes were given about 50 makeovers and have never been cleaner!
BBQs
Albeit it was with members of your households, but due to the lovely weather we received in lockdown, BBQs were a very popular choice for dinner!
Bingo
Whether it was over Zoom, in the street, or just a game with your household, classic game Bingo helped us kill some hours during lockdown.
FaceTime with friends and family
As Boris announced we couldn't socialise with anybody outside of our households, Zoom calls and FaceTimes with family and friends were the only way to keep in contact with loved ones!
Whether it was 10 minute catch-up or a three hour de-brief, where would we be without them?
Wardrobe sort-outs
We finally had time to clear out our wardrobes and find items of clothing we actually forgot about!
Spending valuable time with family
Although lockdown had a lot of negatives, the shining light of the pandemic meant we could spend valuable time with our families, something our usual hectic lifestyles don't often allow.