Philomena Cunk places Benedict Cumberbatch in Tesco, not Doctor Strange

The BBC's Cunk on Cinema clip swaps an actor's filmography for questions about chickpeas, drawing an unusually fast audience.

Channel: BBC Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 454,736 views a day, 35 times a normal first day on this channel (12,829).

Philomena Cunk doesn't recognise Benedict Cumberbatch

Next story: Philomena Cunk asks Benedict Cumberbatch the chickpea question

One more story on Cunk on Cinema ›

"Hello. Who are you?" is quite an opening question for Benedict Cumberbatch. He introduces himself politely, then offers Philomena Cunk a few possible reasons she might recognise him: Doctor Strange, The Imitation Game, The Power of the Dog. None helps.

Diane Morgan's mock-documentarian has something less cinematic in mind. In this comedy sketch from Cunk on Cinema, she remembers seeing him in a blue coat at a Tesco Express, looking at chickpeas. An interview intended to illuminate the film industry becomes an inquiry into whether all actors like them.

"I can't speak for all actors," Cumberbatch replies.

The Short reached roughly 377,000 views in 16 hours, far beyond the BBC's usual first-day audience for this format. Cunk is already a familiar presence among the channel's most-watched Shorts, with her art criticism and history lessons appearing on that list.

In the comments, viewers bring their own Cumberbatch associations. Several return to his much-discussed pronunciation of "penguin", with one wishing Cunk had brought along a picture for him to identify. Others mention Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Strange, while discussing Morgan's ability to keep a straight face.

Cunk eventually admits she has run out of things to say. Her producer, she explains, wanted recognisable faces near the beginning so viewers wouldn't switch off. She has secured the face, just not the recognition the producer had in mind.

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More from BBCVideo taking off 18x its usual first dayTabby Stoecker's watch complicates Strictly's left-right lessonVito Coppola offers a simple memory trick, but Tabby's choice of wrist leaves his solution needing some work.Channel: BBC · Story of November 12, 2026 Also in TV networks and streaming servicesVideo taking off 12x its usual first dayPhilomena Cunk asks Benedict Cumberbatch the chickpea questionBBC Comedy's Cunk on Cinema clip turns a celebrity interview into a supermarket interrogation, drawing an unusually fast audience.Channel: BBC Comedy · Story of November 13, 2026 A different discovery todayVideo taking off 23x its usual first dayJimmy Kimmel sets Trump's Triumphal Arch against veterans' budget cutsWith veterans in the audience, his Veterans Day monologue also revisits the Arlington guard's rebuke and closes on a parody doll commercial.Channel: Jimmy Kimmel Live · Story of November 13, 2026

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Philomena Cunk places Benedict Cumberbatch in Tesco, not Doctor Strange The full story on Trari: https://trari.com/en/story/bbc-35371/

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The numbers

The Cumberbatch encounter drew far more views and comments than a usual BBC Short's first day, before its first day was complete.

the video's first day

usual first day here

12,829

this video

454,736

subscribers

15,700,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

13,104,037,236

views per day

6,851,299

typical day: 6,223,082

the video

views

376,609

likes

11,142

comments

182

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

Gordon Ramsay

22,000,000

BBC

15,700,000

HISTORY

15,500,000

Dropout

15,300,000

Comedy Central

12,700,000

Still Watching Netflix

11,100,000

As of November 13, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.