Benedict Cumberbatch talks sexual experimentation at boarding school: ‘It was just boys and their penises’

Sit yourselves down and take a minute, because we’re about to talk about Benedict Cumberbatch’s forays into sex. Sexy times. Benedict Sexberbatch. Bene-dick-t Cum-berbatch. Sorry.

Yeah, anyway, the Sherlock star has been having a lovely chat with the people at Out magazine all about his first sexual experiences, which apparently took place at his all-boy boarding school, Brambletye, in West Sussex.

“While there was experimentation, it had never occurred to me as ‘Oh, this is that’. It was just boys and their penises, the same way with girls and vaginas and boobs,” he said, adding, “It wasn’t out of a desire.”

He spoke about two students who were ‘outed’ during breakfast one morning, explaining: “They had been discovered in their house and in those days, if you were discovered with a girl you were expelled — there was no shame in that. But if you were discovered with another boy, you weren’t [expelled]. You had to survive all the horrendous prejudice you faced.”

Speaking of prejudice, the Star Trek: Into Darkness star reckons the recent rise of intolerant extremism is “medieval” and said he was prepared to fight for his beliefs.

“People are being beheaded in countries right now because of their beliefs or sexual orientations … I’d take up arms against someone who was telling me I had to believe in what they believed or they would kill me. I would fight them. I would fight them to the death,” he said.

“Human rights movements and sexual and gay rights movements have made huge social progress in the last 40 years, without a doubt, but there’s a lot more work to be done.”

Here are some pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch for your visual pleasure