Benedict Cumberbatch has a meltdown

Hidden cameras catch members of the public having a nibble of Chocobatch

Chocobatch devoured

Chocobatch devoured

7 April, 2015

TV's "dishiest drama actor" received a good 'Easter licking' following public display as fans went into meltdown - WATCH THE VIDEO!

A life-size chocolate sculpture of the acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been left in ruins following several assaults from over eager fans across the Easter weekend.

It was installed at a busy London shopping centre to celebrate the launch of TV channel Drama on the new on demand service uktvplay.co.uk, following a national poll which named the star as Britain's dishiest dramatic actor.

The sculpture was secretly filmed with hidden cameras across the weekend which caught shoppers in the act as they licked, chewed and chomped their way through Cumberbatch's confectionary counterpart.

Following the installation, Chocobatch, as the sculpture has been affectionately named, was left with missing ears, bow tie, fingers and parts of his head. Security believe all the key evidence has been eaten.

The hidden camera stunt was performed to celebrate the launch of TV channel Drama on UKTV's on demand service, uktvplay.co.uk.

The prank involved installing a life-sized chocolate model of the Sherlock star over the busy Easter weekend in London's Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. Producers worked through the early hours of the morning to place hidden cameras in strategic locations to capture the best reactions from unwary shoppers.

Adrian Wills, General Manager of Drama said,

In celebrating the launch of Drama on UKTV's on demand service, uktvplay.co.uk, we wanted to have a bit of fun with one of the stars of the channel and one of Britain's most loved actors - Benedict Cumberbatch. We knew a chocolate statue of the drama actor may prove tricky to resist so this was an experiment in many ways. Fans clearly couldn't keep their hands off him - he's been ravaged!

#Chocobatch tweets

  • @rehfan A bit disturbed at the missing body parts of #ChocoBatch : fingers already gone. Public hovering 'round for the kill. #Creepy #SCARY!

  • @amyl_k @Lou_ali95 what'd happen if you just snapped off a limb and pegged it

  • @ShezaHolmes Why have an egg when you can have Benedict #Chocobatch #BenedictCumberbatch #Easter

ENDS

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Kerry Parker, Head of Network Communications

Lara Feinstein, Corporate Communications Coordinator

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Notes to Editors:

About UKTV Play

UKTV Play is the on demand TV service that lets you watch shows from Dave, Yesterday, Really and Drama whether you're on the bus, at work (we won't tell) or on the sofa. Among the gems on offer are Storage Hunters, Suits, Crackanory, Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, Ghost Adventures, Most Haunted, The Forsyte Saga, The Road to Coronation Street and Forbidden History, so it's never been easier to fill your boots with great stuff from UKTV. You can get UKTV Play on PC and Mac, and there's an app for Android devices, iPhones and iPads. Or you can put your feet up and watch on the telly, thanks to Virgin TV and YouView. If you're an M+ subscriber on Virgin Media, shows from other great UKTV channels - Gold, Watch, Alibi, Good Food, Home and Eden - are on the menu as well.

uktvplay.co.uk / Get the iOS app on iTunes

About Drama

Sky 158, Virgin 190, Freeview 20, BT and TalkTalk 020

Drama is a channel that is passionate about bringing you Britain's best-loved dramas. From period through to contemporary and comedy, the channel is a treasure trove of classics which showcase the greatest stories ever told in an entertaining and engaging way.

With programmes including Call The Midwife, Pride and Prejudice, Sharpe, Larkrise to Candleford and Silk, viewers can indulge in a handpicked range of the nation's most celebrated TV dramas.

About UKTV

UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers every month.

UKTV's eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, Watch, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food - include the most popular non-PSB channel in the UK and account for 9% of the British commercial TV market. The company's most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £278m, and EBITDA of £67.4m. It invested a record £125m in programming and related launches last year, and is becoming an increasingly significant investor in UK creativity.

UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC, alongside programmes originally shown on ITV and Channel 4. The network embraces technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.

Now celebrating its 22nd year at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the only British television broadcaster to be recognised by Best Companies.

corporate.uktv.co.uk / pressoffice.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press