‘Sherlock’ season 4: Benedict Cumberbatch praised generously for TIME honor

There are few honors in the journalism world that are to us as downright cool as being named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. This is not an honor bestowed based on your appearance, your performance in one singular project, or whether or not you have Twitter followers or even Twitter. It’s all about your overall impact in the actual world.

So for Benedict Cumberbatch to make the list is remarkable in many ways. This is not a man who seeks the spotlight, nor a man who tries to be in every blockbuster film. He does interesting roles across many genres, even if we will always know him best for “Sherlock.” Every entry in the TIME 100 is penned by someone with intimate knowledge of the person, and as a part of Benedict’s entry, Colin Firth of “The King’s Speech” had the following to say:

“It’s rare to the point of outlandish to find so many variables in one actor, including features which ought to be incompatible: vulnerability, a sense of danger, a clear intellect, honesty, courage — and a rather alarming energy. I take no pleasure in feeling humbled, but there’s no getting around it. He must be stopped.”

You have to love the British humor in here; it’s sharp, but also a showcase of great respect and admiration. Benedict has truly deserved it, as have many other people who are a part of the list. Other familiar TV personalities who made it include “Late Night” host Seth Meyers, “Scandal” star Kerry Washington, or a truly inspired choice in “Orange Is the New Black” creator / showrunner Jenji Kohan, who has managed to even surpass “Weeds” with a cultural hit.

“Sherlock” season 4 may eventually happen for Benedict, but we’ve already learned based on some recent comments that you could be waiting a while. You can find out more about that here, or also sign up to get some further stories on everything we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: BBC One