Benedict is joined by other national treasures including The Beatles, William Shakespeare, Arctic Monkeys and Banksy.
The Imitation Star and best friend to ITV’s Judge Rinder has starred in a new video which celebrates diversity in the UK’s creative sector.
In The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch plays gay scientist Alan Turing, who developed and created a computer that cracked the “uncrackable” Enigma Code, used by the Nazi forces during WW2. The code breaking machine helped end the war up to 2 years early potentially saving millions of lives. He committed suicide soon after being outted as gay, which at the time was illegal in the UK.
Developed by Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, the film celebrates how art and culture has helped to shape communities, broadened horizons and enriches people’s lives. Museums, galleries, music, dance and theatre are also featured for their role in positively influencing society for generations.
The UK’s creative sector is a rare and real British success story which contributes more than £71bn a year to the UK economy – a figure that has grown by almost 10 per cent since 2011, more than any other sector – and which employs over 1.71 million people.