Said the person who caught it on video, quoted in "Benedict Cumberbatch in bike rage row after running red light/A ‘vigilante’ cyclist called him deluded and a liar during the ten-minute altercation, which was filmed by a passer-by" (London Times).
11 మే, 2026
"It was crazy. It was such a pompous road rage it almost felt like it had been staged. He was calling Benedict 'deluded' and 'a liar.'"
"Benedict still managed to charm everyone watching even though he was having a meltdown. They went at each other about five times. It was really busy, and they blocked the lane so no one else could get through. The masked guy was obviously some kind of vigilante. He was really taken aback when he saw it was Benedict Cumberbatch, but he doubled down on his rage. Everyone was just stood there with jaws dropped. These school kids asked 'is that Dr Strange?' and asked for a picture with him. Benedict said 'not at the moment, in a minute'; he was lovely with them, they were awe struck. I don’t condone dangerous driving, but for this guy to follow him and cause an incident like this was worse than Benedict slowly cutting that light."
Said the person who caught it on video, quoted in "Benedict Cumberbatch in bike rage row after running red light/A ‘vigilante’ cyclist called him deluded and a liar during the ten-minute altercation, which was filmed by a passer-by" (London Times).
Said the person who caught it on video, quoted in "Benedict Cumberbatch in bike rage row after running red light/A ‘vigilante’ cyclist called him deluded and a liar during the ten-minute altercation, which was filmed by a passer-by" (London Times).
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68 కామెంట్లు:
Bumbercatch should tell him to stuff it where he was buggered.
Progressive city problems
If you think that is a compliment, consider how tense people are that they get road rage while riding bicycles and that bicycle vigilantes exist.
which ONE is cumberbatch?
Bumbercatch is a very Dickensian name. With a touch of slight sexual innuendo, catching a bum.
Psycho sherlock
"masked guy was obviously some kind of vigilante." OK.
OK - the over use of "he" makes it difficult to know who is who. I cannot see either of their faces.
was cumberbatch in a car and he got out? where is his car?
I guess I'm confused. There is no car. it's bikes. He ran a red light on a bike?
who cares?
Grey helmet guy i dont think of that as road rage
jack nicholson smashed someone's window with a golf club. Now, thats road rage
Two guys whom neither one will throw fists, karen fight.
Well - rush Cumberbatch to a Sharia law court - STAT.
Upper-income cyclists are perhaps the most aggressive risk-takers on the road.
True story: I was driving on a rural highway with lots of traffic next to ultra-wealthy estates. This road routinely has packs of weekend cyclists who control and slow traffic to a crawl. A lone cyclist going up a LONG hill rode left to nearly the centerline to prevent passing. Cars passed over the double line anyway.
Your spandex and ego will not protect against 5-ton trucks and road rage. A lawsuit won't get back the use of your legs after a crippling accident.
Also see the San Francisco cyclists wars and their shutting down of highways. Happening for years.
https://abc7news.com/post/police-stop-attempted-bay-bridge-takeover-85-cyclists-seized-bikes/18808655/.
Running a red light is probably the worst thing you can do. Its stupid and dangerous. Of course, there's "running a red light" and "RUNNING A RED LIGHT". If you just blow through the light that's bad. If you're in the intersection 1/2 second after it turns yellow to red, that's not too bad. Its expected where I live.
Its the difference between a california stop and just blowing through the stop sign at 35 MPH.
It feels less like celebrity gossip and more like a classic “everyone’s angry in traffic” moment—just on bikes instead of cars.
This seemed more like a polite disagreement than a full-on “road rage” incident. Cumberbatch admitted he messed up, but the other cyclist followed him and kept the argument going for around 10 minutes.
I get the frustration with dangerous riding in busy cities, but these confrontations escalate fast these days. Funny how a celebrity on a cargo e-bike in central London barely feels unusual anymore.
Curious to hear what others think: Has cycling in cities actually gotten more tense lately, or is it just more visible now because of phones and social media?
Who is jack cumberbun anyway?
It's crazy to argue with crazy.
Cumberbatch admitted he messed up - so what? You mean he didn't lie when caught and someone probably had it tape. Wow, good for him. Slow clap.
In California a stop sign or a red light is just a suggestion.
Yeah, people are zipping around on their e-bikes going way too fast. They're the new moped. You think your stupid little bike helmet is goin' protect you when you crash at 25 MPH? Think again.
Hes a silly brit, but i dont see the fracas
The comment section in the LT is much less kind to Cumberbatch. As a pedestrian who has to contend with speeding bikes running red lights, I see their point.
On a different subject one of the exchanges went like this (So British):
SHEILA:“I wish I could stop reading about 'verbally abusing' in inane contexts such as this. 'He shouted at me.' in fact. So Woke.”
ALISTAIR:” People get it wrong - verbally simply means "using words" (as opposed to gestures, semaphore or by Aldis lamp, I suppose) and could equally apply to a letter or email - what they mean is 'orally abusing'.”
FRANCESCA:”That sounds like something else entirely !”
STEPHEN:”Behave.”
If there's no cross traffic, there's nothing wrong with a bicyclist crossing on a red light. I've done that my whole life. Being color blind, I'm at risk of inadvertently running red lights while driving, especially at night when every street light looks like a green traffic signal. Because of this, I always slow down and check both ways before crossing any intersection.
The laws of Man, are made to be broken. You cannot violate the laws of physics.
The british people in jail for 3 years for a "mean tweet" or putting up posters saying "Its OK to be white". So, i can see why arguing over a light would be a big deal to them.
British "road rage." That's hilarious. But, shouldn't there have been some tea and crumpets?
"If there's no cross traffic, there's nothing wrong with a bicyclist crossing on a red light."
If it was wrong, every boy under 15 with a bike would be in jail.
They're both having a melty. Nonces.
Howard : "If there's no cross traffic, there's nothing wrong with a bicyclist crossing on a red light." Except that it's against local ordinances in London. Cyclists in downtown Ann Arbor think they own the f**king streets.
I've got no problem with, and indeed watch out for, bicyclists when I'm driving. I have no sympathy for those who blithely blow through stop signs and red lights, expecting cars to stop for them.
I do have a problem with cyclists who flount the law by riding two or three (or more) abreast, holding up traffic behind them. If you're looking to get in a fight with a pack of Spandexed bicyclers, try driving in Coconut Grove in Miami on a Sunday morning.
By American standards, they were exchanging pleasantries.
Running a red light in a vehicle = very bad.
On a bike? Agree with Howard- it's not that big of a deal considering most circumstances - and the person in harm's way is the red light runner. I'm not condoning it - but get real.
That's "road rage" in Britain? It's a short clip, but seemed rather civil. Debating about each other's tone.
"Howard said...
Being color blind, I'm at risk of inadvertently running red lights while driving, especially at night when every street light looks like a green traffic signal."
Not buying it. Beyond color, you have the position that the "on" light is in. Top Middle Bottom. Red yellow green. And it's easy to see which light is on.
I don't get it. Cumberbatch was on a bike too (I assume, because he's wearing a helmet). Did his running the red light somehow endanger the other biker?
Who knew that a British bicyclist with a covid mask would be an entitled male Karen?
I'd keep arguing with the Scottish guy just to hear his accent.
It smells as if the other cyclist was acting as the police.
Considering the real police are too busy arresting people for on-line posts that inflict emotional distress on the UK neo-fascist/ Islamic Male supremacists - as speech crimes - it sort of makes sense.
Maybe the offended Karen cyclist was just trying to tell Cumberbatch all about being vegan, and became enraged at being dismissed. It sounds like Cumberbatch just watered him down with politeness until he wore himself out.
@Peachy: It smells as if the other cyclist was acting as the police.
That describes up to 95% of everyone in the UK or Russia, many commonwealth countries, etc.
Ha ha! Cyclists!
To be fair, I run red lights when it's safe. Sometimes, the traffic light has no reason to be there. I much prefer roundabouts.
@CG
Not sure if it still applies but at one time at least one light on Tipperary (sp) Hill in Syracuse, NY had the green on top.
Exhibit A for why free speech is critical in a civil society.
It was a zebra crossing, people!
Zebras might have been harmed.
I can't know your personal experience as a color blind man, George. For me, red is a dull darkish color. It doesn't stand out. Blood doesn't draw my attention, it looks like mud or dirt. Driving well requires constant scanning, not intense focus on one thing in particular. The single most important thing in driving is having the situational awareness of all the other vehicles and what they are doing and what is the quality of the drivers not focusing on a light signal. It doesn't happen every time but say at least a couple times a week. I'll be about about 1 or 200 yd out from an intersection and I'll look up and the red light will look exactly like a green light and your brain automatically tells you green light. The same is true for approaching a slowdown on the freeway. Brake lights do not particularly stand out above running lights. Fortunately, I always make day more than enough breaking distance.
My oldest brother, also color blind, flew helicopters for 45-years starting in Vietnam doing high mountain work, coastal SAR and firefighting. No milk runs. Best and safest machine operator I know. My wife reports that even he runs red lights and doesn't know it.
Back in the mid '80s I remember traveling to Florida on business renting a car with a colleague and I was driving and the traffic signals were sideways, LOL. I scared the s*** out of my coworker a number of times.
I've never been in an accident because of my color perception issue.
Seems inexplicable to me that BC forgot the immortal line, "Do you know who I am?"
Joe Bar said...Ha ha! Cyclists!
To be fair, I run red lights when it's safe. Sometimes, the traffic light has no reason to be there. I much prefer roundabouts.
I have 2 rules on my bicycle: (1) I surrender the right of way to those who have it, and (2) I make it obvious I will obey rule #1.
I have never been in a situation where those rules weren't sufficient. Most problems between cars and bikes are caused by drivers who weren't paying attention or are entitled (cars treat bike lanes like parking spaces all the time). There is no reason why a bicycle should have to follow car rules--bicycles aren't cars. I am regularly faced with situations where I have to choose between safe and legal. I choose safe.
"ceowens said...
@CG
Not sure if it still applies but at one time at least one light on Tipperary (sp) Hill in Syracuse, NY had the green on top."
The Green-on-Top Traffic Light
Tipperary Hill is the home of the only upside-down traffic light in the United States. When the city first started to install traffic signal lights in the 1920s, one was installed at a major intersection on Tipperary Hill, on the corner of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue. Some Irish American youths, incensed at the symbolism of the "British" red being placed above the "Irish" green, broke the light. Several replacements were also broken until the city decided to invert the traffic light to pacify the locals.
"Howard said...
I can't know your personal experience as a color blind man, George. For me, red is a dull darkish color. It doesn't stand out."
I'm not color blind, but you dodged my point. You can tell which light is on. And if you must have transitioned from color to position.
Hot biker-on-biker action. . . . . .
Hated cyclists in Seattle. I can bitch for an hour on stories of cyclists. I got hit by one as a pedestrian. . . . he ran a red light. Down here in AZ they're much better, although likely with the influx of blue-staters it will get worse.
I will go through red lights if there's no traffic or pedestrians around. As an Old Man, I realize how utterly vulnerable I am so for me it's far more about self-preservation than strictly following the law.
I live in NYC. I frequently jaywalk. There are bikes everywhere.. They frequently go against the flow of traffic. Some day our paths will cross. Historic inevitability. There's a bike out there with my name on it, but I bravely carry on.
Curious G: "one light on Tipperary (sp) Hill in Syracuse, NY had the green on top.... Some Irish American youths, incensed at the symbolism of the "British" red being placed above the "Irish" green, broke the light."
Jeez, what did they do to the Syracuse Orangemen? CC, JSM
What Enigma said. The sweaty Spandex crowd are the biggest jerks on the roads
The Case of the Missing Courtesy
In an age of Road Rage 11 this barely rates a 2.
In one short trip to London a few years ago, I had 3 celebrity sightings and a self-appointed bike enforcer. Last one first: I went running in Hyde Park, and there are marked paths separating bikes from people, each divided in half. Of course, with having to avoid the potholes, and the whole do-I-also-run-on-the-left? thing, I wound up running in a bike lane. I wasn't run over by some wannabe Chris Froome - no, some old dude on a fixie bike slowed down to my pace and rode alongside me, giving me an earful.
Celebrities: in a week, I saw: Shaun Dooley in the London Zoo (widely experienced character actor; he was one of the many vicars on EastEnders and was also on Broadchurch); Greg Wise and Emma Thompson at Sir John Soane's Museum. They were all just there as regular people. Dooley seemed to be doing a custody thing with his kids and a bit stressed. Wise and Thompson maybe got to jump the line at the museum, but otherwise were just regular visitors. No one had an entourage or anything.
So I could easily see the guerrilla-celeb thing and the self-appointed-bike-Karen thing colliding there. CC, JSM
Having been a road rager in the past, especially triggered by the crappy flatlander drivers from San Jose having difficulty knowing how to maneuver highway 17, I have since adopted the advice from David Foster Wallace in his famous commencement address how's the water, boys? He recommends that when we're in public situations and we are exposed to erratic, irresponsible and often unexplainable wrong behavior that we should assume that the person is in a particular situation that requires them to behave what appears to be badly. It has a very calming effect that I wish I figured out decades previously.
"...unexplainable wrong behavior that we should assume that the person is in a particular situation that requires them to behave what appears to be badly. "
Yep. I figure the slow pokes on 17 are first timers, or their car is having mechanical problems. Driver going exactly speed limit on freeway either stole the car, illegal alien, or has license suspended
We obviously need more lawyers.
When we were in Berlin in '19, we failed to understand the foot-bike-car lane rules, which included clearly marked (once it was 'splained) boundaries between walkers and bikers on the same sidewalks.
We learned after the first few experiences of stepping into the bike lane and getting cursed by young German women with babies, out getting their fresh air and exercise.
Highway 17 is routine curvy mountain road and not easy for inexperienced drivers. City people often do not understand (1) downshifting, or turning off overdrive, nor (2) feeling safe in a car as it leans around a corner. They thereby slow down to preserve the 'sitting on a sofa' feel. The same thing happens on the twisty mountain roads near Tahoe or Yosemite. I've seen tourists literally creep at 25 mph and then pull off (in tears) because of the cliffs near the roads.
The DC Beltway (I495) crosses the Potomac River by the Clara Barton Parkway. When going north toward Maryland from Virginia, the wide open straight freeway goes down to the river and then up a notable hill on the Maryland side. Straight and wide. Cars still slow way down in light traffic for no direct reason.
"Highway 17 is routine curvy mountain road and not easy for inexperienced drivers."
I used to consult for a company in Los Gatos. I liked driving highway 17.
"Look, this isn't argument. It's just contradiction."
"No it isn't."
Thank you, Peachy. I think you captured my thoughts.
I tried to care. I really did. I just don't.
"If there's no cross traffic, there's nothing wrong with a bicyclist crossing on a red light."
Agreed. The only person you can hurt is yourself, and if it happens, you earned it.
I have done it for about 60 years without incident. The times I stopped for nothing, I wish I could take back. I didn't get a single cookie for any of them.
The only person you can hurt is yourself
In a city intersection where the signals manage pedestrian traffic, anyone who enters the crosswalk on the other side of the intersection from where the cyclist enters are at risk. Happens all the time in Boston. Cyclist sees no cross traffic and starts thru the intersection just as pedestrians walk into the street on the other end. I used to see people get hit once every couple months. Usually the cyclist gets belligerent...
Bumbercatch should tell him to stuff it where he was buggered.
Totally off topic, but your use of that word reminds me of a joke that my Dad used to tell to friends of his generation who also fought in WWII.
An American officer serving in England goes to the pub with a couple of British officers and they all get very deep in their cups.
At one point the American rises unsteadily, raises his glass to the Englishmen, and announces a boozy, profane toast to his new friends: "Bugger you, and bugger you, and bugger the King of England!" One of the Englishmen also raises his glass and says: "Well then! In that case, BUGGER SINATRA!"
They all found it highly amusing.
I always had a notion that Frank Sinatra was a product of the 50's, but it turns out that he first reached superstardom in the war years, presaging Beatlemania among the "bobbysoxer" girls, and was probably the most popular singer on the Armed Forces Radio and USO tours.
Enigma said
I've seen tourists literally creep at 25 mph and then pull off (in tears) because of the cliffs near the road"
First time 299 east from redding, sign approaching curve says "slow to 55".
55? WTF? I'm only doing 45.
Trick on 17 is to tailgate the guy in the left lane, make 'em nervous so they change lanes and you can catch up with the next one.
"Howard said...
Having been a road rager in the past, especially triggered by the crappy flatlander drivers from San Jose having difficulty knowing how to maneuver highway 17"
Figures, you the Soquel guy with driving gloves and wrap arounds in the little z3
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