The 2012 Cheltenham Literary Festival or The Evening I Met Benedict Cumberbatch...

Once upon a time there lived a woman.  A woman who was a little bit Sherlocked and little bit Cumberbatched.  
Since she first saw this wonderful actor Benedict Cumberbatch on TV and film, her mission had been to try and meet this fantastic actor.  

So, onto Cheltenham, the final frontier....
These are the thoughts and actions I can remember from the Sherlock talk at the Centaur that day.

Cos on that night of Saturday 6th October 2012, all my wishes came true...

  

After a good 4 hour journey to reach Cheltenham (and almost getting lost), my friend Jackie and I arrived there in plenty of time for the Sherlock talk we were so looking foward to.
There were numerous Sherlock-clothed fans around, and numerous Harry Potter-clothed fans around too (as J K Rowling was on beforehand).

After we had a look around the racecourse (ok, after I dragged Jackie around to look at the course!) we then went back in and waited in the bar area to go and take our seats.
We did have quite a lot of time to kill as JK's talk had to go first.  So it was a case of saying hello to various other Sherlock fans and just being patient.

Finally, people started to move and we were let in and took our seats.  We had an ok view, but considering the trouble I had getting the tickets I couldn't complain.

After the warm-up man started to outstay his welcome the show commenced.

Louise Brealey (aka Molly Hooper) came on stage first.  She got a huge round of applause but not a patch on the one her 'interviewee' got next....

Ben came on stage to massive cheers (and yes, some screams) and he actually had to wait a little while for the crowd to stop applauding him.
I had a fairly good view of him.  It was a shame he was sitting on the stage turned away a little from the side of the auditorium I was sitting, but like when I went before in 2010 (to see Derren Brown), there was a big screen, which I did have to use quite often to see Benedict properly.

Loo was obviously nervous but did a good job, even going so far as to say how freaky some of her dreams had been recently because of her nerves. Benedict did turn to her at one point and say that he wanted to hear more about her dreams!
But I think Benedict was quite nervous too.  One of the first things he did after he'd come on stage and the applause had died down, was to get us all to stand up, say hello to everyone sitting near us, to shake our limbs etc, and then sit down.  He made some comment about us all feeling better after that!

I also loved the bit when later on in the talk Benedict suddenly realised he hadn't taken his coat off.  Of course, as soon as he removed his duffel jacket the wolf whistles etc, started.  So Ben stands up and starts to pretend to do a striptease with the buttons on his blue shirt!  Loo said something like, "Oh, one more button" and Benedict sort of looked at her and she came over all embarrassed and said she was starting to blush!  Haha, it was great!

They both mentioned halfway through the talk about the signing afterwards, and they said it would only be for an hour.  And not long after that, with the talk a good 30 mins or so from finishing, I noticed some girls leaving.  Then I kept hearing more seats flipping up and even more people departing.  I could see them disappearing all around the place.  
Speaking personally, I totally understood why they did it.  It even crossed my mind to leave then too and get in line along with them to make sure we got to meet Benedict after.  But we'd paid to hear a talk on Sherlock.  We'd paid to hear what Benedict had to say about playing him.  And really, if it meant not meeting him after, then so be it.  It was a shame they left, because they missed the floor being opened up to Benedict, and even he picking the questions himself.  I just found the various people leaving early a distraction more than anything.  
But it was noticed, because Benedict actually said something like,  "Where are all those people going?"  Some people in the audience did shout out to him the most obvious reason, but I don't think he responded to it.

Loo did ask Benedict about the 'present that Molly give to Sherlock that Christmas'.  Now, I did tweet Loo to ask Benedict that question.  So I'm assuming it was my question she was (sort of) putting to him (she'd asked people on Twitter a few days ago to send in questions for her to ask Ben).  But she proceeded to tell him what she thought was in it, whereas I wanted his own ideas on what the present contained.  Anyway, it was quite funny seeing/hearing his response to it being a green mankini!  He even made a joke about wearing it outside his cycle gear the following week (when he did that 45-mile charity bike ride).  Now, I'd pay to see that!

When the talk was over (far too soon, it seemed), everyone shot out to get in line for the signing and the chance to meet Ben.
We found the line and stood.  I must admit that I really wasn't sure if we were going to get to meet Benedict or not.  We couldn't see how long the queue was (as it went off into another room) and it was a bit disconcerting to keep seeing girls walking past, obviously having met him and had their books signed etc.  Most were in differing states of giddiness.

The queue was moving but very slowly.  It took us a good 30 mins or so to get up towards the end of the corridor (managing to see Ben through the window in the other room where he was signing as we made our way.) But when we entered the other room... good Lord!   The queue snaked upwards, back on itself, then around in a horseshoe, then it was all barriered and twisty-turny near the table where Benedict was sitting down signing!  We just couldn't see that we'd make it to meet Ben in the hour he'd given.
Anyway, we continued to queue knowing that sooner or later one of the organisers was surely going to come along the line and inform us that Ben had finished signing for the hour and that was it.  But it never happened.....

We ended up standing in line for approx. 90 mins until we got near to where he was (it actually felt much longer than that to me).  
When I could actually see him clearly at the table, I took the one and only photo I actually managed to tell my befuddled mind to take.  It's just a shame he blinked.....

Yes, my heart was thumping a bit but funnily enough I was fairly calm.  I had in my head a couple of things to say to him but I still couldn't believe he was actually sitting there not far from me!  It was kind of surreal.

We had been told to only have the one item and have the page ready where you wanted it signed.  And when I got right near him, feeling quite self-conscious, I handed it to a lady close by who then passed it along to Benedict quickly, ready for when I stood in front of him.

The first thing I said to him, which didn't quite come out how I intended it (I wanted to remark on how tiring all this signing etc, must be), but I ended up blurting out, "You must be knackered?!" to which he said, quick as a flash, "I am a bit".  He had been about to sign my book at that point but after what I said he chose then to have a drink.  He had two glasses of differing substances on the table.  One was clear and fizzy, but he drank from the other which was a liquid of a differing colour.  Ben was drinking whisky on stage (well, so he said), but whatever he drank when I was standing there made him grimace and pull a face.

When he got back to signing my book I asked him if he was going to do any more Cabin Pressure.  To which he said that he hoped to record some more in December.  I noticed that he really does look at you when he speaks, he doesn't just give you an off-hand response whilst signing, he actually stops and looks right at you. And, naturally, I came over all shy (as usual!)  He did look quite pale, I thought, and yes, very tired. 

I really don't know what I said in response to that but I did say to him that I loved the show, and that it's helped me get through some difficult days at work.  I also mentioned that John Finnemore had put on his blog that he'd already written S4 etc.  Benedict seemed to soften and relax a little then (I suppose even he gets a little nervous about meeting lots of different people).  But he praised John, calling him 'brilliant' and repeated that they hoped to record the next series in December.  He said this as he looked at me with a smile and a small wink.  Yes, a wink!

By now he'd signed my book.  Sadly not dedicated but I wasn't too bothered.  After all that happened in trying to meet him in London that time, and then selling some tickets to another talk he did at Cheltenham and missing the opportunity there, it was just lovely to finally meet him face to face.  And to talk to him too!

 

I made a point of remembering to thank him as I took my book back and left, to which he said something along the lines of, "You're welcome, and thank you".

And, yes, I fangirled!  I never thought I was like that, but after Jackie and myself had left, I practically skipped out of the Centaur in a daze.  I've always thought it was a myth saying that people 'walk on air' but truly, I could well have believed it that night because....

I'D FINALLY MET BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH!

I found out afterwards that he'd fully intended in the end to sign for everyone.  That was approx. 2,000 of us.  And he didn't finish until 12.40am.  Amazing cos that queue was huge, behind me and in front.

Ok, some things didn't pan out.  
I regret that I didn't take many photos.
He wasn't posing for any due to time issues which was fine.  I just wish I'd hung around as some of the other people did, and stood at the side snapping him like a pap.  I had my really good camera on me too with a great zoom, but it's a little bit cumbersome to carry etc, so I didn't bother.  I do kind of regret that.

Jackie, who I went with (and who I was meeting for the first time) was perfectly lovely, she did video me with Ben but it didn't come out all that great.  It was difficult because we were a little squashed up when you got close to where he was sitting.  The table being in a kind of 'L-shape' there.  
But I did manage to take a couple of video snapshots of Ben when he was talking to me although you can't really see me in them (which isn't altogether a bad thing), just my shoulder.

So all in all it was a fabulous day/evening, full of lovely people, a wonderful Sherlock chat and topped off by the splendiferous cherry on the proverbial cake by meeting Benedict himself.  Something that even now, as I blog this almost 6 months later, I still can't believe I've actually managed to do.

Mission accomplished.