Benedict Cumberbatch And Alan Turing Are Related, Say Genealogists

It could be coincidence or the stars somehow aligning – but it appears that Benedict Cumberbatch may be related to Alan Turing, the man he plays in ‘The Imitation Game’.

Researchers from the website Ancestry have managed to trace a link between Cumberbatch and the World War Two Enigma codebreaker which dates back to the 14th century.

- Cumberbatch goes shirtless for charity
- Cumberbatch measured for waxwork
- Cumberbatch gets engaged

It’s a distant link – they’re seemingly 17th cousins – but they are both related to John Beaufort, it’s claimed, the First Earl of Somerset.

“It would seem that there is a flair for espionage and bravery that has descended down multiple generations of Benedict Cumberbatch’s family tree,” said Miriam Silverman, content manager on the website.

“It’s amazing to think that when stepping into the role of Alan Turing, he would not only be portraying a world class code breaker but a real life relation.”

It’s not the only interesting link that Cumberbatch has to World War Two either.

His third cousin twice removed was Noel Carlisle Rees, the British intelligence officer who smuggled thousands of Allied troops out of Greece during the Second World War.

Cumberbatch plays the codebreaker in ‘The Imitation Game’ alongside Keira Knightley, Charles Dance and Mark Strong.

Turing, a pioneering computer scientist, was later prosecuted for being homosexual, in spite of his work with the Enigma code helping the Allies win the war.

The movie is out nationwide on November 14.

Image credits: Studio Canal/Ancestry.co.uk

- Original Dumb & Dumber Wages Revealed
- Tarantino’s Retirement Plans
- Hotel Staff Fail To Recognise Cruise