As the digital era unfolds, one of the wildest advancements we’ve seen as a society is DNA sequencing, and all of the historical data that it allows us to uncover. These days, with a simple online submission, a person can have their entire world changed, with the discovery that their ancestral line contains some surprising revelations.
Case in point: Sherlock and Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch. New research has uncovered that is much closer to his Sherlock character than anyone knew: Cumberbatch is actually a descendant of the character’s creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!
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As you may guess, the root of this strange connection is Ancestry.com, whose researchers looked into Cumberbatch’s history and found the connection with Doyle. As CBS News details, Cumberbatch and the Sherlock Holmes creator are 16th cousins, twice removed; their shared ancestor was found in the 14th century: John of Gaunt, first Duke of Lancaster (born 1340), fourth son of King Edward III, and noted friend of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
It’s nothing explosive, but is still a wonderful bit of trivia that will delight Sherlock fans, as well as Cumberbatch’s growing throng of fans. The actor is starting off 2017 on a general high note; Doctor Strange is the biggest solo character debut in Marvel Studios’ history; Sherlock‘s season 4 premiere was the most-watched thing on New Year’s Day in the UK, and he’ll have another chance at awards acclaim playing Thomas Edison in The Current War this year.
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Sherlock season 4 continues with “The Lying Detective” on January 8th and “The Final Problem” on January 15th.
