The “celebrity factor” has trickled down from films to television to theatre and now to radio - and the “backlash” perceived toward Neverwhere seems to be an indicator that, although Cumberbatch, who has always acted in radio dramas, will be continually sought to do so, his participation may be questioned and his performance more harshly judged by those who prefer actors not yet stars to tackle more radio roles.
Mansfield Park
The industry was different “way back when” (a little more than a decade ago) during Cumberbatch’s first jobs. As he once explained, in the past, when more acting jobs were available, there was much more of a “bridge” among media, with a combination of theatre, radio, a little bit of television, and perhaps film all in the mix. Actors also proved themselves at each stage of their development and gradually worked their way up through the ranks until they reached larger roles or better billing. Although Cumberbatch is hardly an old man in his profession, he nonetheless sees a difference between his early career and the way that young actors sometimes establish themselves as stars right away and “were born into a world where if you’re a kid with raw talent... , you can roll in and land a lead in a Scorsese film”.[285] Cumberbatch, on the other hand, grew up in a tradition where actors learned their craft while performing the canon, just as his parents and previous generations of actors had done. As Cumberbatch worked up through the ranks, he did his share of the classics, many of them on radio.
By the time that BBC Radio retrieved Mansfield Park[286] from its vaults as part of the anniversary celebration of Jane Austen’s work, the star power of David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch in particular helped promote the rebroadcasts. The popular actors’ names - “Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant lead the cast” - introduced the ten-part adaptation, which was first broadcast in 2003. At that time, Cumberbatch and Tennant were not so well known, and their names were not used to attract media attention to the play. By 2014, many who would not have been aware of the actors during the original broadcast had the opportunity to listen on radio or online.
Tennant has the flashier role of oldest son Tom Bertram, who gambles, drinks, and disdains the idea of traveling to the West Indies to assist his father during an economic downturn. In comparison, Cumberbatch plays steady second son Edmund Bertram, who knows he will have to find a position for himself; his pragmatism makes him a valuable friend to Austen’s heroine, Fanny Price (Felicity Jones). Whereas Tennant’s role allows more emotional range, especially in the first episode, Cumberbatch’s deeper voice provides a steady foundation for the story and the steadfast “reasonableness” by which Austen’s best male characters are known.
To promote this revived radio serial, BBC Radio 4 released audio clips, not surprisingly featuring Cumberbatch. The one-minute clip from the first episode encapsulates the bulk of Cumberbatch’s performance in the first fifteen-minute segment[287]; in it, Edmund discusses the importance of one’s position in society and the increasing difficulty of finding a proper job to establish himself - an important scene to showcase adult Edmund’s sense of responsibility and his firm friendship with cousin Fanny, in whom he confides.
As the serial progresses, Cumberbatch delivers at least one “speech” in a key scene within each episode. In Episode 2, for example, Edmund falls in love with wealthy neighbour Mary Crawford and teaches her to ride horseback. Although Edmund still stands up for his cousin Fanny, the pair are not quite so close once Mary catches Edmund’s eye. In Episode 3, Edmund’s budding romance with Mary continues to trouble Fanny, but listeners are hardly troubled by hearing more of Cumberbatch in this segment. Edmund is revealed to be entering the clergy within a few months, and his dialogue illustrates Edmund’s interest in logic and determination to do good for the world.
Cumberbatch portrays Edmund as earnest, with light laughter punctuating a line now and then. The part hardly stretches his acting talent, but Edmund sounds like a pleasant young man, and Cumberbatch makes the part interesting to hear, without overdramatising it. During Episode 4, the differences not only between brothers Tom and Edmund, but Tennant’s and Cumberbatch’s styles, become more apparent. Tennant is more vocally flamboyant; in many scenes Tom is emotional, whether brooding darkly or embracing life’s pleasures. Cumberbatch is less overtly dramatic, as is appropriate for “the straitlaced Edmund Bertram,” as his brother Tom describes him. Edmund gets a fine scene in which he ponders his relationship with Mary and wonders whether she could ever accept a clergyman for a husband. Edmund sounds nervous as he voices his concerns in front of the family dog. “Does she love me?” he asks.[288] Cumberbatch’s sincere delivery makes Edmund, not bon vivant Tom, a romantic character.
By the eighth episode, Fanny has concerns of her own regarding a suitor. During yet another horseback ride in which the friends share their ideas, Edmund finally gets to do more than be congenial or concerned. Cumberbatch’s more forceful delivery shows a bit more of the actor’s emotional range.
Of course, in subsequent episodes, after trials and separations, Edmund and Fanny finally recognise they are made for each other and marry. Cumberbatch has little to do vocally beyond sounding thrilled and loving, not a huge stretch for his acting talent. Edmund Bertram is not the flashiest or most controversial role, but Cumberbatch proved he could play a romantic lead.
Although Cumberbatch more recently has played larger roles in radio dramas - such as in 2013’s Neverwhere or Copenhagen - he has always incorporated radio plays into his annual repertoire. Mansfield Park is not a dusty relic from a now-famous actor’s past; it is one among many radio roles that form an important part of Cumberbatch’s long-term career.
Cabin Pressure
The final episode of Cabin Pressure bookended Cumberbatch’s radio performances for 2014 and provided him with twice the publicity: once in February when the recording session was promoted and finally for the end-of-year broadcast marking the conclusion of the highly popular show. Whereas Neverwhere was recorded in a closed studio, Cabin Pressure’s performances have taken place in front of a live audience, which proved to be challenging when so many Cumberbatch fans and long-time Cabin Pressure fans (or those who are both) tried to get tickets to the one-off 2014 episode and series’ ender.
The quality of the scripts and the performances remained consistently high, from the first episode in 2008 through the last in 2014. As quirky airline pilot Martin Crieff, Cumberbatch could play broad comedy but also imbue the character with everything from prickly frustration to dithering uncertainty to sincere gratitude. Martin often has trouble making ends meet (he is unpaid by MJN airline), but he loves to fly, and by the end of the series, he finally decides whether to remain an MJN employee or to take a job far away from his colleagues and long-suffering plane Gertie.
Although Cabin Pressure gained its own following prior to as well as after the phenomenon of Sherlock, undoubtedly a great number of Cabin Pressure’s later fans wanted to attend recording sessions because they could watch Cumberbatch in action. The final performance received a record number of ticket requests (22,854, breaking the BBC’s previous record of around 17,000), and during the resulting lottery to make the ticket distribution fair, many long-time Cabin Pressure fans reportedly lost out to Cumberbatch fans lucky enough to secure a seat in the audience on February 23, 2014. The RADA studio where the performance took place on that Sunday evening could seat only around two hundred, and some spots were allocated to journalists.
One writer argued that Cumberbatch’s acting made him especially valuable to the production, stating that
of course Finnemore’s writing is wonderful but no way would there be the interest there is without Cumberbatch’s performance. You only have to remember his powerful acting in the scene where he goes for the interview [in the 2013 cliffhanger leading into the finale] to realise how important he is to the production.[289]
Several Cabin Pressure fans, however, criticised a Radio Times article
announcing the record-breaking number of ticket requests because they felt it indicated the radio serial only was popular because of Cumberbatch - or that only this actor’s fans upped the number of requests. One posted that “John Finnemore is an absolutely brilliant, intelligent, fantastic writer. Benedict Cumberbatch’s popularity certainly may have brought the show to more people’s attention, but it’s the strength of the writing and the whole cast of characters that really make Cabin Pressure the unfailingly funny half hour of joy that it is”. Another agreed that “I’m just a little bit annoyed that this article doesn’t consider... that we’re fans of the show, not only of Benedict Cumberbatch... I might have another chance to see this actor ‘in person’. The occasion to attend a Cabin Pressure recording, though, will never present itself again”.
Series’ creator and actor Finnemore ensured that fans knew he, as scriptwriter, was to “blame” for the series’ end; he tried to stop speculation that Cumberbatch was too busy or no longer interested in playing Martin Crieff. “It’s very difficult to get [the cast] together, certainly, but they continue to be astonishingly generous about finding ways to make it work. No, this is all my fault,” he mea culpa-ed on his blog after discussing his reasons for logically bringing the characters’ stories to a conclusion while interest was still high in the long-running series.[290]
An unnamed “BBC source” praised Cumberbatch in the Mirror for coming back to finish Cabin Pressure with a flourish, specifically mentioning that, although he is now a star, he is loyal to his colleagues and the show and “has always loved making Cabin Pressure”. The final performance, despite being bittersweet, turned out to be “a hilarious night with Benedict often helping set up the punchlines for his co-stars, instead of being the leading man for a change”.[291]
Photographs published in the hours after the recording session ended showed a grinning Cumberbatch working on stage with his colleagues. Not one to shy away from a few tears or hugs, he also seemed moved by Finnemore’s farewell thank-you speech to the cast and sad to see the end of the series.
Although fans were sworn to secrecy about the plot, they confided online that Cumberbatch talked with them, signed autographs, and posed for photos on stage long after the recording.
Rumpole of the Bailey
Also in February 2014, Cumberbatch recorded two more Rumpole of the Bailey radio dramas for the BBC. Since 2009, he has played the young Horace Rumpole in a series of annual dramas. The first new episode in late March was “Rumpole and the Old Boy Net,” ending with a cliffhanger resolved in the next day’s story, “Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners”.
In these episodes, Rumpole, badgered by “she who must be obeyed” (that is, his wife, Hilda; played by Jasmine Hyde) to become a QC (Queen’s Counsel, selected from the ranks of barristers to conduct counsel on behalf of the Queen), takes on a pupil to assist on a blackmail case. Rumpole is a dedicated mentor, but it does not hurt that Phillida Trant[292] (Cathy Sera) appreciates Rumpole’s knowledge and expertise far more than do his colleagues or wife. In fact, Rumpole feels rather out of sorts because he seems not to be a good enough provider for his family; his son’s education likely will require more money than he currently can make.
This instalment of the series allows Cumberbatch to play the much put-upon Rumpole to grumpy perfection, but also to be seen in a far more romantic light. By the end of the episode, Rumpole locks lips with Miss Trant after-hours in their office.
Often underestimated, beleaguered Rumpole is a good role for Cumberbatch’s vocal talents; he typically provides the right mix of indignation with resignation, and all the while the audience understands that Rumpole is an intelligent man and, in fact, sexier than he has been given credit for. Cumberbatch lets Rumpole seem both pleased and smitten with a new love interest, but also ethically anxious about their working relationship and pragmatically concerned about his marriage. Whereas in court Rumpole is confident, in his personal life, he has difficulty dealing with his emotions and is much more vulnerable. In these episodes, he must determine if leaving his family for a new lover is worth the emotional and financial costs, a more personal story than Cumberbatch often gets to play as Rumpole. Of course, in the follow-up episode the next afternoon, Rumpole returns from his temporary separation from Hilda, and, if all is not well, it at least returns to the status quo.
Whereas several episodes have included Timothy West as the older Rumpole, with Cumberbatch in scenes recalling young Rumpole, the two early 2014 episodes feature only Cumberbatch, a role he likely will continue when his schedule allows. This year’s recordings were made during a quick trip home to London between other work commitments.
Future episodes may again include West; producer Marilyn Imrie would like “an episode in which [Rumpoles younger and elder] meet and talk to each other in some form of ether. That would be a great story”.[293]
How Much is Cumberbatch’s Radio Voice Worth?
This question arose in summer 2013 when U.K. brokers questioned the Financial Services Compensation Scheme’s (FSCS) decision to hire Cumberbatch for radio advertisements in a £3 million campaign. Even though the FSCS assured brokers that Cumberbatch’s fee was only a small part of the overall campaign cost, a financial news site posted a photograph of Cumberbatch and used his name (along with the campaign’s cost) in the headline.
FSCS Chief Executive Mark Neale defended the radio spot in the awareness campaign by saying that it “is designed to reassure the majority that their money and savings are safe, and warn those who unwittingly put their money at risk”.[294] Cumberbatch provides that “reassuring” delivery, and the public’s awareness of his name, or simply his voice, makes them listen when they hear him on radio. Another exec praised the choice of actor and added, “The main thing is the money is well spent if it is communicating the scheme to the consumers and they know it is there”.[295]
Not everyone quoted in the article feels Cumberbatch is a good choice, and the comments made by these businessmen are more interesting as a barometer of the public’s thoughts about the actor’s vocal effectiveness and celebrity than are the opinions of critics or reporters covering the entertainment industry. One corporate executive, for example, wished that Richard Briers or Brian Blessed were available for the voiceovers, in part because they “wouldn’t have cost £3m”. This comparison among voiceover artists is especially insightful as an indicator of the gender or age demographic that best appreciates Cumberbatch. At the time, the then-37-year-old actor was about four decades younger than the performers on this executive’s wish list, and Briers was recently deceased. Whereas this executive did not think Cumberbatch’s voice is sexy, he admitted that his female co-workers did.[296]
Cumberbatch’s distinctive voice and frequent radio presence, whether in a serial or an advertisement, increasingly is well recognised by the public. Whether they know who he is (i.e., the celebrity factor of getting an audience to listen just because they recognise the actor’s voice), listeners are attracted to his warm tones and confident authority (i.e., the believability factor important to an advertisement). Just how much that voice is worth, owing to Cumberbatch’s celebrity or talent, may be a fluctuating factor progressively dependent on audiences’ instant recognition of and appreciation for the actor’s name or voice.
With Cumberbatch’s celebrity a certainty for at least the near future, radio performances or films made before the actor was a star undoubtedly will come back periodically so that newer fans can enjoy them for the first time and long-time followers can revisit favourite performances. What is even more promising for Cumberbatch’s career is that his work in any medium inspires a loyal following, and his personal interests often coincide with professional opportunities to work in radio and indies.
Looking toward a far-ahead future, when Cumberbatch may not want to spend quite so much time travelling around the world for film or television work, he may spend more time developing projects for
himself or other actors. It seems a reasonable direction for career expansion, and production company SunnyMarch, if it can build on its just-begun reputation for excellence in filmmaking and popularity with Cumberbatch’s fanbase, may be just the vehicle Cumberbatch can steer into financial and creative independence when he decides to downsize the number of his acting projects per year.
Behind the Scenes of Burlesque Fairytales
(Photographs © double barrel productions)
Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Clark in Burlesque Fairytales, filming in a crypt.
Henry Clark with his children Charles, William and Elizabeth in Burlesque Fairytales
Sisters Grace (Charity Wakefield) and Annabel (Sophie Hunter) filming the final scene in Burlesque Fairytales
Writer Director Susan Luciani (left) with Producer Lindsay McFarlane and underwater safety team, filming with young actress Georgina Hewitt at Pinewood Studios, London
251 Ellis, “Benedict Cumberbatch - From Sherlock to Star Trek to Oscar Night Sex Symbol.”
252 Electric Cinema: How to Behave. Dir. Marcel Grant. Soho House Group. 2012.
253 Little Favour. Dir. Patrick Viktor Monroe. SunnyMarch. 2013.
254 Little Favour. “Making Little Favour.” SunnyMarch.
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