Cumberbatch really was born to play Sherlock.
[dropcap size=small]A[/dropcap]ccording to the family genealogy site Ancestry.com (via Huffingtonpost), actor Benedict Cumberbatch is said to be ‘directly related’ to Sherlock Holmes author, Arthur Conan Doyle.
The site reportedly uncovered Cumberbatch and Arthur Conan Doyle are 16th cousins twice removed. Regardless of how distantly related the pair are, it’s still pretty neat to discover Cumberbatch is linked to his onscreen persona in more ways than one.
They royally do go way back, eh? (Image: ancestry.com via Huffingtonpost)
As you can see from the above, Cumberatch and Doyle’s connection goes back to the 14th century through John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, who was the son of King Edward III.
Cumberbatch and Doyle’s common ancestor, John of Gaunt. (Image: Wikipedia)
Bene rightfully won the hearts and minds of viewers everywhere with his fantastic portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s seminal detective in BBC’s Sherlock (penned by the stellar writing team formed up of Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Stephen Thompson).
Hmm, I’m sure there’s a phrase Sherlock would use upon discovering two very talented individuals who were linked together through the creation and portrayal of one character are actually distantly related?
Ah, yes! Elementary! That’s it. Elementary, indeed!
The long awaited return of Sherlock arrived on the small screens at the beginning of this month on BBC One and PBS, with the second episode due January 8.
