Benedict Cumberbatch got into a heated roadside argument in central London after a fellow cyclist called him “deluded”.
The Sherlock star was cycling near London’s King’s Cross station on Tuesday (5 May) when he clashed with a masked man and accused him of “verbally abusing” him.
A passerby told The Sun that he had seen Cumberbatch, 49, riding his cargo bike in the cycle lane, with the other cyclist following closely behind him.
In footage filmed by the same onlooker, Cumberbatch is seen walking over to a man in red trousers, whose face is covered. The conversation reportedly went on for 10 minutes, with the pair blocking the bike lane while arguing.
In the video, the other cyclist is heard calling Cumberbatch “deluded”, saying: “You’re lying. I was behind you the entire time.”
“Dude, you verbally abused me,” the actor replies, with the other cyclist sarcastically mocking him, saying: “Oh no, I verbally abused the guy who completely, repeatedly broke the law.”
While Cumberbatch appeared to accept some guilt, saying that he “did it once”, the star of Marvel’s Doctor Strange films denied the other cyclist’s claims that he “went through a zebra crossing” and “went through three lights”.
“No, I did not,” he replied. The other man eventually left the scene, after which Cumberbatch reportedly took a selfie with two young fans.
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“Everyone was just stood there with jaws dropped. These school kids asked, ‘Is that Doctor Strange?’ and asked for a picture with him. Benedict said, ‘Not at the moment, in a minute’. He was lovely with them, they were awestruck.”
The Independent has contacted Cumberbatch’s representatives for comment.
It’s not the first time the north London resident has made headlines for his bike-related antics. Back in 2018, the British performer reportedly followed in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes when he stepped in and rescued a Deliveroo rider who was being attacked by four people.
Cumberbatch jumped out of his cab after seeing the cyclist being hit over the head by a bottle.
The taxi driver said at the time: “He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, ‘Leave him alone.’ 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.”
Cumberbatch, however, was more understated in his response, telling The Sun: “I did it out of … well, I had to, you know.”