BENEDICT Cumberbatch has been announced as an art festival’s headline act.
The Hollywood Actor, 45, will read TS Eliot's The Waste Land at the Charleston Festival, in Firle, near Lewes in May.
Organisers of the event, which will be held in May, say that his performance will be a "world exclusive".
A spokesman said: “Award-winning actor Benedict Cumberbatch breathes new life into T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land, in a world exclusive performance alongside one of the most celebrated ensembles, Britten Sinfonia.”
The festival celebrates Charleston's history as a gathering location for radical writers and thinkers in the 20th century.
Performers at the festival will be speaking on subjects such as art, poetry, spoken and written word.
Other speakers include fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and best-selling author Monica Ali.
Organisers say this year's festival will also feature "events for children, young teens and their families" for the first time.
A spokesman said: “From books, poetry and writing, to fashion, film, science and politics, there’s over 40 live events at this year’s festival, bringing together more than 100 speakers.
“For the first time at Charleston Festival, we’ll be hosting a programme of events created specially for children and young teens with some of the most exciting authors, poets and illustrators of young fiction and non-fiction.
The festival is set to take place between 19 and 29 May and a full programme is to be announced in February.
Benedict’s latest film, The Power of the Dog, is widely tipped for success at the Oscars in March.
The Power of The Dog follows the story of a timid young man, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, who forms a complicated bond with a gritty cowboy (Benedict) following an initially hostile relationship.
The film has already received multiple accolades in the 2022 awards season, including at the muted Golden Globes award ceremony, where it was named best picture overall.
Benedict also appeared as his superhero character Dr Strange in Marvel’s latest Spiderman film No Way Home.
He is to reprises his role as the superhero wizard in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, which opens in cinemas on May 6 2022.
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