Even the 'Cumberbitches' admit he looks like an otter. So here, for the benefit of baffled men, JAN MOIR reveals why we women think Benedict's a sex god

Even though Cumberbatch (left) regularly appears on Sexiest Man Alive lists, not everyone is bowled over by his odd, vulpine features and singular charm, writes JAN MOIR. Many men grumpily wonder exactly what it is about this lanky toff with the gingery tinge that inspires such breathless devotion among his loyal fan base. Even by Cumberbatch's own admission he looks like an otter (right). But he is undoubtedly handsome: more than this, there is also something unquenchably noble about Cumberbatch. A proper grown-up, he even flew to Edinburgh to visit his girlfriend's mother, especially to ask for a parental blessing and permission to marry his Sophie.