Shadowing Practice: Benedict Cumberbatch Is The Ultimate Photobomber | Extended Interview | The Graham Norton Show - Learn English Speaking with Video
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294 sentences
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1
Now, Benedict, you haven't won an Oscar yet, but last year you were part of the Oscar-winning film.
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Yeah, I was.
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12 Years a Slate.
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Which was an amazing honour.
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I mean, that night is so extraordinary in itself, but to sort of crown it all with that was very special and for such an extraordinary film.
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It was amazing.
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And great to kind of get up on stage at the end.
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Yes, absolutely.
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I mean, it's so...
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Me too, I'm in it!
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Exactly.
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Exactly.
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I'm glad I did my photobomb earlier on rather than then.
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This is the weird thing.
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Like, at the beginning...
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Like, how overexcited must Benedict come back to be...
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I really was, yeah.
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..that at the beginning of the evening he did this.
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LAUGHTER I was...
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I was very overexcited, because that's a very high jump.
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I thought you were standing on something, but that's a jump.
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Several publicists, yeah.
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They're running human leapfrog, I think.
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No, I...
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It was...
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Well, Ellen, who was hosting, Ellen DeGeneres, She was generous.
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I thought we did a fantastic job.
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She started it by oiling everyone on the red carpet with vodka.
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So her show was handing out whilst they were interviewing us these little miniatures of vodka.
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And it's a nerve-wracking event.
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It's the Oscars, for heaven's sake.
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So, yeah, I was emboldened by booze, a little bit like Timothy was in his acceptance.
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Did they know you were doing a Kenneth Williams in person?
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Yeah, it was like that.
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No. LAUGHTER
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Hey, listen, word on the street is you may well be heading back to Oscar land
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because of your stand-up performance as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.
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Now, it's...
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Yes, yes, whoop it.
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That's the producer.
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No, listen, I talk about Alan Turing, you don't know he's the guy who broke the German Enigma code and helped the Allies to victory.
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I think he's a national icon and a hero.
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I think he should be on the back of banknotes, He should be on school textbooks, you know, science books as well as history books.
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An extraordinary man.
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And this extraordinary group of people that Alan's in charge of, they solved this unsolvable riddle puzzle,
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this codification of all the messages that went between German High Command
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and the troops or the army or the navy or the air force, you know, were codified, obviously.
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And anyone could pick them up, anyone could hear them on a radio, but couldn't translate what they meant.
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And these people, there were scientists, there were mathematicians, There were physicists, the kind of brains you think would be able to think laterally and scientifically about the problem.
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But also artists and musicians and actors.
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So it was a huge net of brainiacs, of these extraordinary minds thinking laterally to solve this problem.
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And so it focuses a lot on that.
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And then either side you learned about Alan's story, which is...
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Yes, the top and the tail, the beginning and the end are not happy times.
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After this incredible success in the war.
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Well, he was appallingly served by our government, our culture, our nation at the time.
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He was prosecuted in the 50s for being homosexual and given the choice between state sanctions, castration through oestrogen injections or two years imprisonment.
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And he chose the castration because he wanted to carry on his work.
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But, you know, the way you learn about him, the way the film explores him is, it's very funny.
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It is very funny at times, as well as being really shocking and moving and thrilling.
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Now, we get so many messages and tweets and emails from your...
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Now, they're not cumbers anymore, are they?
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They change names every time I'm on.
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OK.
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So what are they now?
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Cumberz.
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Cumberz?
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I don't know.
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I'm making it up, Grant.
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I don't know anymore.
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Do you know what you are?
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Cumbers what, too?
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Cumbers people.
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Cumbers people.
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Cumbers people.
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Cumbers people.
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It's like they're not a group anymore.
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I think there's definitely some splintering going on.
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There's a lot of splintering.
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OK, so there's a bunch of questions that I'm potentially obliged to ask you.
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They will go nuts if I don't.
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So, obviously, when will we see more Sherlock?
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Er...
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2015, I think, yeah.
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OK, are you in the next Star Trek?
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No comment.
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OK.
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Are you in the new...
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What did he...
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Are you in the new Star Wars movie?
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No comment. Of course I'm not.
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I heard a rumour you were seen around the set.
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I did go to set, which was fantastic.
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I mean, it was like walking through my childhood, and Harrison, whose place I am honoured enough to be in on the sofa, it was...yeah, he wasn't there.
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The point is, I walked to the Millennium Fork and I sat down.
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I mean, it was incredible.
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You're not going to be a stormtrooper.
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I shouldn't be even saying this.
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I shouldn't be saying this on television.
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It's a secret, don't tell anyone.
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We know when that's in it, because it fell on his foot.
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That's right.
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That's right.
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That's right.
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That's already been spoiled.
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Yeah, but did you not ask a stormtrooper or something?
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No comment.
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Are you a soldier?
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No. Are you?
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Are you at the back of one of those people?
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Unbelievable.
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No comment.
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LAUGHTER It is OK.
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Get back of the troops, we'll just see people coming like that.
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LAUGHTER Yeah, OK.
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Is that him?
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Is that him?
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Is that him?
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APPLAUSE Actually, last time, as you say, you were here with Harrison Ford before, you did an incredible Chewbacca, But I'm told you also do a Jar Jar Binks.
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Oh, no, it's a Bixy monster!
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You don't make much money out of doing a good Jar Jar, let me tell you that.
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The most in the mode character of any franchise ever.
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Rightfully so, in my opinion.
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And Smout the Dragon is back.
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He is, yeah. Of Chris.
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So, I've finished business.
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I read that as a voice, that there isn't...
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I mean, obviously it's put through treatments and things, but actually it sounds very like what you did.
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Oh, God.
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Do you want me to do that as well?
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If you can.
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Um... So, Miranda...
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Oh, my God!
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Is your heart beating faster...
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Yes!
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...slower than the floor?
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Oh, my God!
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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE It's on the wrong side of my mouth.
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Yeah.
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I don't know whether it's aroused or the other.
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It's arousing and terrifying in equal measure.
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I'm very confused right now.
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I'm confused.
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When you did that.
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My hand went like that.
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I know.
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Does that hurt?
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No, but I feel quite faint. So do I.
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Stop.
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Erm, yeah.
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Explain this, explain this Benedict Cumberbatch.
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This is odd.
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Of all the questions we had, the one that came up most often was, ask Benedict to say the word penguin.
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What is this about?
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Well, apparently I got it wrong repeatedly in a documentary.
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It wasn't a documentary about said animal.
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It was a documentary about, I think, about the South Pacific in general, and now I'm completely terrified of the words.
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I don't go near it.
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No, here's the thing.
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I thought, or I'm sure they're making it up, but we actually looked at this documentary.
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You've got it?
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Oh, good.
163
So, the documentary is called...
164
The documentary is called Strange Islands.
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The first one you sort of get away with, and then after that you lose all sense of what we were doing.
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Oh, good.
167
Let's have a look.
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Listen carefully.
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And the last thing you might expect to see here... is penguins.
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These are fiordland-crested penguins, named after this corner of South New Zealand.
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So why are these woodlands so attractive to penguins?
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A fresh water stream through the forest makes a handy highway for a parent penguin heading home from the fishing pool.
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LAUGHTER APPLAUSE APPLAUSE The funny thing is, you don't do this in isolation.
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You have a team of, you know, natural history experts based in Bristol, funded by you, the tax-paying public.
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It's not just me sitting there at a booth going, I think I know how to say penguin, I'll say penguins.
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It's mortifying.
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But there are other people who should take some flack, including my producer.
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You and a booze are the bottle of coffee.
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Who should take some flack, including my producer?
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You and a booze with a bottle of vodka.
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But did no-one at the end of the thing, could we just try the word penguin again?
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Maybe.. maybe...
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Maybe they just gave up.
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I honestly don't know.
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But then what I love is, in the way that life is, how special that Benedict is now starring...
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Oh, yeah.
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As a wolf in this film.
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So can you say it now?
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Well, I've had a word with Disney.
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I just need to check that I have said it correctly in the film.
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Er...
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Penguin.
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Penguin.
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Penguin.
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Penguin!
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He's all over it.
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Ah, the sense of achievement.
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Benedict, do you have anything to offer Miranda as plot lines, or have you been in a similar...?
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I've been in...
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I mean, my old life is sort of stepping between trying to be gracious and embarrassing myself, it seems.
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I don't know.
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Well, I presented...
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Last year I presented this thing called the Loris Awards, which is like the Oscars, but for sports.
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And, you know, I was meeting some icons of sport.
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Yeah.
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Formula One racing car drivers, tennis players and swimmers, including Missy Franklin, the amazing American female swimmer.
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And she, you know, she's, what, 18?
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I mean, she's so young.
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I was like, it's incredible, you've achieved much
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and I'm I feel like I'm double your age I mean
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it's incredible just listening to you to all of your achievements I'm just
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and she was sat right next to her parents as well I said you know I'm sitting here
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and I'm just I'm just getting stiff even even listen LAUGHTER I didn't have that moment,
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I didn't have that pause, but I heard behind me, I heard a friend of mine, Julian, who was in the audience, laugh.
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Literally like a sort of voliger, coming up, like that.
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And then at the party after, so I went up to her and went, I'm so sorry, she went, what about?
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And then I had to explain.
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LAUGHTER It's one of those weird apologies we have to go, I wasn't stiff at all.
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Oh.
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Talking of art, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for Benedict Cumberbatch to meet Benedict Cumberwax.
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They're wax.
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LAUGHTER Now, this is Madame Tussauds.
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What are they called?
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A wax figure.
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They're not wax work, the wax figures.
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Oh, right.
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Yeah.
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And you haven't met it yet.
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No. So, come with me.
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Come over here.
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Everyone come over and have a look.
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Have a look.
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Have a look.
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So, this is going to be spooky.
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So, come down here.
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Come down here.
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OK.
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You're all set?
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Yeah.
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OK.
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Here is Benedict Cumberbatch.
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Feast your eyes on you.
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That is weird.
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Come on!
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Come on!
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It's really...
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This is very, very weird.
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No, he looks so like you.
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It's spooky.
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Look at the back of the head and everything.
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He's tired.
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He even looks as tired as I feel.
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Look at that.
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Look at that.
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Shall I stand?
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That's brilliant.
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Oh, yeah, do it, do it, do it.
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Oh, my God.
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Look at that other way.
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Yeah, nice, nice.
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That's very good.
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APPLAUSE That's uncanny.
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OK, now...
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Spot on, spot on, spot on.
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If we all come in and have a picture taken with this...
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You can photobomb us from behind.
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Oh, God.
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Good idea.
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Tile in, everyone.
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Tile in.
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Come here.
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OK.
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I'll take a run-up.
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Ready?
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OK.
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Camera over there somewhere.
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Ready?
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OK, one, two, three.
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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Well done, that man.
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See you, darling.
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Bye.
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Don't touch it.
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It looks much better than the one...
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I went to Waxworks once in Great Yarn, It's no longer there.
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And it had one of, it was supposed to be Michael Jackson, but it was about this big.
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And I think it used to be Sammy Davis Jr. With a different wig on him, and put his underpants on outside his track.
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I said hi to that backstage. Did you?
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You got confused.
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What was he going to say?
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And you thought, he's so standoffish.
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He's changed.
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I don't know if I take that as a compliment or not.
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And then my make-up artist went, why is Benedict Cumberbatch just stare at what's he stare at?
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I'm not joking.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Benedict Cumberbatch Is The Ultimate Photobomber”. This video has 294 sentences and 2126 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:39. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| penguin noun | /ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/ | Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual… |
| cumber noun | /ˈkʌmbə/ | Something that encumbers; a hindrance, a burden. |
| booze noun | /buz/ | Any alcoholic beverage. |
| vodka noun | /ˈvɑdkə/ | A clear distilled alcoholic liquor made from grain mash. |
| arouse verb | /əˈɹaʊz/ | To stimulate or induce (feelings); pique. |
| castration noun | /kæˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The act of removing the testicles. |
| flak noun | /flæk/ | Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells. |
| laterally adverb | /ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/ | Done in a lateral manner. |
| overexcite verb | To excite to an excessive degree. | |
| photobomb noun | /ˈfəʊtəʊˌbɒm/ | An act of photobombing. |
| splinter noun | /ˈsplɪn.tə/ | A long, sharp fragment of material, often wood. |
| stormtrooper noun | /ˈstɔːmtɹuːpə/ | A soldier trained in special infiltration tactics. |
| terrify verb | /ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/ | To frighten greatly; to fill with terror. |
| spooky adjective | /ˈspuːki/ | Eerie, or suggestive of ghosts or the supernatural. |
| troop noun | /tɹup/ | A collection of people; a number; a multitude (in general). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. | |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| get away with verb | To get away, or escape, taking (something) with one. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| hand out verb | To distribute; to give out, either by hand or as if so (figuratively). | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| put through verb | To connect (a telephone caller) with the callee. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Me too, I'm in it!
- They're running human leapfrog, I think.
- Do you know what you are?
- Do you want me to do that as well?
- Who should take some flack, including my producer?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't won · That's already been spoiled · I've finished |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was emboldened · were codified · was prosecuted |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | guy who broke · story, which is · set, which was |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 59 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: mathematician /ˌmæθ.(ə.)məˈtɪʃ.ən/, thrill /θɹɪl/, booth /buθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: castration /kæˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/, codification /ˌkɑ.dɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, mathematician /ˌmæθ.(ə.)məˈtɪʃ.ən/, sanction /ˈsæŋkʃən/, standoffish /stænˈdɔ.fɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: laterally /ˈlæ.tə.ɹə.li/, appallingly /ʌˈpɑlɪŋli/, codification /ˌkɑ.dɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, mathematician /ˌmæθ.(ə.)məˈtɪʃ.ən/, scientifically /ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪfɪkli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like penguin, cumber, booze.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.