A hero, on and off screen.
Benedict Cumberbatch, known for playing Sherlock Holmes and Marvel’s Doctor Strange, has been praised as a hero after rescuing a delivery cyclist from attackers.
According to a report by Sky News, the Oscar-nominated actor was walking with his wife when he saw a Deliveroo cyclist hit over the head with a bottle. Cumberbatch, who is currently starring in the Sky Atlantic drama series Patrick Melrose, yelled “Leave him alone” at the attackers.
The 41-year-old actor then rushed towards the incident where he fought off a gang of four attackers who were hassling the delivery man.
Cumberbatch later told The Sun: “I did it out of, well, I had to, you know.”
In a different reporting of events, Uber driver Manuel Dias described the incident to the newspaper as follows: “I was taking Benedict and his wife to a club — but I didn’t know it was him at first. I went to turn down into Marylebone High Street and we saw four guys were pushing around a Deliveroo cyclist.
“My passenger jumped out, ran over and pulled the men away. They turned towards him and things looked like getting worse, so I joined in. He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, ‘Leave him alone’.
“It was only then I recognised Benedict. Then it all got a bit surreal. Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street. I had hold of one lad and Benedict another. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave. He did most of it, to be honest.”
Strangely enough, Cumberbatch is no stranger to dangerous situations — and escaping them. Cumberbatch was a victim of a carjacking in South Africa when he was filming there in 2005, and was tied up by his attackers, but eventually convinced them that it would be a bad idea for them to have a dead Briton on their hands. A good man to have in a crisis, as they say.
A witness also told the newspaper: “Benedict was courageous, brave and selfless. If he hadn’t stepped in, the cyclist could have been seriously injured.”
