Benedict Cumberbatch was filmed in tears on an episode of Bear Grylls’ survival skills series Running Wild when the broadcaster paid tribute to his late grandfather.
Cumberbatch was one of the latest high profile stars to join the intrepid explorer, this time on an excursion around the Isle of Skye.
The actor, whose grandfather Henry Carlton Cumberbatch was a submarine officer during WWI and WWII, became emotional when Grylls surprised him at the end of the episode.
Grylls had “called in a favour” so that Cumberbatch could see and climb aboard a vessel similar to the one that his grandfather would have gone on during the wars.
“My grandfather’s been playing in my mind quite a bit over the past couple of days and it felt like a very immediate connection to him and to see it was just an, ‘Oh my god shock moment’,” Cumberbatch reflected of the moment on camera.
He was filmed in tears saying, “I’m so moved by it” as the pair approached the sub from a larger boat.
A further surprise was that Cumberbatch was allowed to enter the vessel with Grylls – something that is very rarely permitted for civilians.
The 46-year-old actor’s grandfather retired from the Royal Navy in 1945 and died at the age of 65 in January 1966.
On Instagram, Grylls wrote: “A powerful moment of raw emotion for Benedict Cumberbatch as we ended our @RunningWildwBG journey… Benedict’s grandfather had commanded a submarine in WW2 and I felt proud to be able to involve the @RoyalNavy & @RoyalMarines to help us end the adventure… thank you so much!….”
In other news, earlier this year Cumberbatch was confirmed to be playing folk singer Pete Seeger in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic Complete Unknown.