Before Benedict Cumberbatch landed his breakout role as the тιтular detective in the hit British drama Sherlock, he appeared in a number of overlooked and forgotten films as an up-and-coming actor—one of which saw him portray the insufferable and arrogant antagonist of a quirky game show comedy from the mid-2000s.
This underrated role came in Starter for 10, a 2006 film starring both Cumberbatch and young James McAvoy as university students vying for the top prize on the TV quiz show “University Challenge.” Boasting a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie both won over critics and acted as the perfect showcase of Cumberbatch’s talent at playing pompous, unlikable characters.
Benedict Cumberbatch Is Impossible To Like In Starter For 10
Set in 1985, Starter to 10 follows Brian Jackson (McAvoy) as he enters his first year at Bristol University and joins the University Challenge team helmed by Patrick Watts (Cumberbatch), an arrogant postgraduate student who’s captained for the last three years despite failing to lead his team to victory once.
University Challenge was a real British game show that ran from 1962-1987 before being revived again in 1994.
From the start, Patrick repeatedly bullies and badgers towards Brian, leading the two to ʙuтт heads on more than one occasion (and at one point, literally). What’s ironic is that Patrick, despite his near-constant demands of perfection from his teammates, flops on University Challenge after failing to answer several key questions.
In this sense, the genius of Cumberbatch’s performance as Patrick comes not from his rivalry with Brian but rather from his vicious need for self-importance and the unpleasant measures he takes in order to bolster his ego. He isn’t necessarily a vindictive character, but certainly one driven by pride, which Cumberbatch exemplifies to a tee in Starter to 10.
Starter For 10 Includes An Early Holmes Brothers Collaboration
Surprisingly, Benedict Cumberbatch isn’t the only Sherlock alum featured in this 2000s game show comedy—he’s also joined by Mark Gatiss, the co-creator of Sherlock and the actor who plays Holmes’ older brother Mycroft in the show.
In Starter for 10, Gatiss portrays real-life University Challenge host and original “quizmaster” Bamber Gascoigne, who acted as the presenter of the British TV series from 1962-1987. Though his role in the film is brief, it’s fun to see his interaction with Cumberbatch, especially when he chides Patrick for failing to answer questions in a reasonable time.
Ultimately, for Sherlock fans, Starter for 10 might initially appear like a weird, alternate dimension in which both Holmes’ intellect and deduction skills are missing. Nevertheless, if this is the case, I can promise you that Sherlock’s trademark arrogance is nowhere missing in this fun and light-hearted comedy.
