Do any of those words make sense to you? They might, if you’re among the almost 37,000 members of “the most glorious and elusive society for the appreciation of the high cheekboned, blue eyed sexbomb that is Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch,” star of the BBC series Sherlock. That “society” is the legion of inordinately dedicated fans of Cumberbatch, a group whose adherents have labeled themselves the “Cumberbitches” and who have launched a Twitter profile, Facebook page, a Pinterest handle, and countless Tumblrs in honor their beloved star.

Their adoration is expressed as hyperbolically as it is earnestly. He’s “the biggest thing since Jesus. I mean, you know, since the Beatles,” writes Alexandra Sokoloff, author of the bestselling crime thriller Huntress Moon. One Tumblr user, who calls herself “Cumberqueen,” calls him “a chunk of raw ginger.” His most dashing smiles and candid moments are captured in .gif form on Tumblrs including “League of Cumberbitches” and “Cumberland.” But despite the plethora of Web shrines curated for the star, the question likely lingering among most of uninitiated is: who is this guy?

Benedict Cumberbatch is a 36-year-old British stage and screen actor. His star has been steadily rising across the pond over the past decade—thanks to his performances as Stephen Hawking in the BBC telefilm Hawking and as the leads in the hit miniseries To the Ends of the Earth and The Last Enemy—while supporting roles in films including Atonement, The Other Boleyn Girl, and War Horse began putting him on the radar stateside. But it’s his role as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock, which began airing on PBS in 2010, that’s served as his American breakout.

In Sherlock, Cumberbatch reconceives Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s oft-portrayed sleuth icon as a modern-day technophile, supplementing his “elementary” skills of deduction with email, texting, GPS, and laptops. The role fits Cumberbatch like a herringbone deerstalker. The actor’s natural ability—with his tall, slight frame; distinct, crisp accent; piercing eyes; and unruly mop of curls—to play posh misfits lends itself to an adorably awkward, amusing, and almost Aspergian performance in the lead role. His Holmes is a “misanthropic genius who doesn’t gladly suffer fools,” The Daily Beast’s Jace Lacob wrote when the series premiered in the United States two years ago.

It’s Sherlock, which has amassed a large cult following, that’s begun making Benedict Cumberbatch’s rather unusual name a household one. Its second season premiere on PBS was not just a boon when compared to the network’s typical numbers, but averaged more viewers than more widely known basic cable shows like Mad Men. Cumberbatch was nominated for an Emmy for his performance. As the series became more successful, the Cumberbitches—and their bevy of tongue-in-cheek memes—were born.

“I think the silliness is part of the phenomenon,” Sokoloff tells The Daily Beast. “It’s part of Sherlock, too. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. To be a Cumberbitch you want to have that level of self-awareness about how ridiculous you’re being.”

Cumberbitches memes have even begun mating with past popular memes, spawning ostensible meme mash-ups. Take this riff on “First World Problems,” aptly titled “Cumberbitch Problems.” A sample grievance: “Cumberbitch Problem #99: “Having to rewind interviews because you always squeal when he first speaks.” Or Problem #50: “Not knowing what hair color you prefer on a man, because Benedict has had them all.”

Fans of Cumberbatch all have their own opinions on what it is about him that sparks such intense obsession, unusually intense for a British actor in America who doesn’t star in a film called Twilight or Harry Potter. “He very much comes across as a quintessential gentleman in the way that other actors don’t exactly,” Naomi Roper, owner and creator of the benedictcumberbatch.co.uk fan site, tells The Daily Beast. “His innate Britishness appeals to people.”

Sokoloff is less coy about what underlies the attraction. “It’s a true physiological reaction,” she says. “It’s very sexual. College kids are as loopy about him as women in their 60s.” His popularity is very of-the-moment, too. That he doesn’t share George Clooney’s rugged handsomeness or Brad Pitt’s chiseled features is exactly Cumberbatch’s modern appeal. “There’s a cachet to being a nerd these days,” Sokoloff says. And his most unusual of names? It only helps in that regard. “We know what he must’ve gone through with that nerdy name, and now that he’s come out of it, it’s Revenge of the Nerds and Revenge of the Geeks.”

Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/25/sherlock-star-benedict-cumberbatch-s-polarizing-cumberbitches.html