I keep seeing this in the entertainment rags, and all I can say is…
…really?! bleh. He looks like an iguana!
I’m a little concerned about the pet stores you have been visiting.
I find him pretty attractive, now. When I first saw a picture of him, I thought he was creepy-looking. Then I watched Sherlock.
He looks better in motion. Also, he has one of those delightful, purring baritone voices.
But, you know, different strokes and all that. I think Channing Tatum looks like a giant thumb, but apparently he’s the “sexiest man alive”.
A giant thumb with LIPS.
I agree with Sparky. He definitely looks better in motion, and I do absolutely love his voice. He is kind of creepy-looking sometimes, and then suddenly he’s totally hot. I’m not entirely certain where it comes from, but I’m all for it.
He doesn’t look like an iguana. More like an otter, I think.
But seriously, he’s got an usual face, but I think that make him even more attractive, rather than someone who just blandly handsome. But, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Personally, I think he is gorgeous, with lovely eyes and great cheekbones.
According to Mrs Dog it’s entirely possible to be ugly and attractive, and both Benedict Cumberbatch and Steve Buscemi fall into this category.
I can kind of see what she means too.
When I first saw him when Sherlock was originally airing, I actually stopped and stared because I couldn’t figure out whether he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen or just highly weird-looking.
But lovely voice, lovely eyes, and his face looks remarkable in motion. It’s a little odd, but there’s something about the man himself (not just Sherlock) that I find really appealing.
He’ll catch you like that, though, first time out. Especially if all you see is still images. Give him a bit, he’ll grow on you.
He’s distinctive looking and he has a nice body. To me, whether he’s attractive depends largely on what role he’s playing.
I am totally clueless about what women find attractive about men except in the most obvious of cases (I mean you would have to be dead to not see the new Superman guy is very attractive). In Sherlock I thought he just looked weird. I couldn’t understand that some were saying he is attractive. Then I saw Star Trek and I could see it. Maybe he just looks better with shorter hair?
Depending on the role, he can look grotesque, totally bland–or remarkably beautiful.
You really need to see him in action.
(For the fans–an interview by Caitlin Moran. Who, earlier, called his voice “a jaguar hiding in a cello.”)
Oooh, I love Caitlin Moran- thanks for that!
I think he’s beautiful and amazing to watch, but not in an “I’d hit that” sort of way. He’s one of those “I’d have an impossible crush that we must never act upon but is filled with longing gazes but we musn’t because we’re both married to other people” kind of men, for me.
Heh. That fits with his role in Sherlock as a man who is beloved by various people whose sexual attraction is to women.
its the voice, otherwise he is kinda creepy. Much like Alan Rickman, just his voice alone makes the knickers drop 
His name isn’t attractive at all
I don’t find him attractive. I think he looks like a goat. 
However, that said, I think his voice is incredibly attractive, and he’s definitely got a lot of charisma. I put him in the same category as Mick Jagger (IMO, YMMV, etc.): Not terribly attractive physically, but makes up with it by oozing charisma. The difference is that Cumberbatch has the kind of charisma I like (cool, ‘smartest guy in the room and I know it’ thing) while Jagger has more of the ‘bad boy sexy’ thing that doesn’t really do it for me.
Other actors who seem to have huge legions of women (and some men) who think they’re hot and I don’t see it at all include Rupert Grint (ugh) and Matt Smith (he does have a lot of quirky charm and I love him as the Doctor second only to Tennant, but I don’t think he’s physically hot).
ETA: As for actors who look like otters: I expect to see Gary Sinise cracking clams on his back in Monterey Bay any day now. The man has no ears! 
Yes. He had a small role playing an ignorant bumpkin in Tipping the Velvet and was an unattractive freak in that. In Sherlock he’s extremely attractive. He has a certain energy and mannerisms that just make you want to stare. Plus the voice - in T t V he put on a bumpkin accent and affected idiot tones, but as Sherlock he was erudite.
He’s uglysexy and has a great voice. He’s basically the photographic negative of David Beckham, if you think about it.
I tried to watch Parade’s End and even though it fit perfectly into my longing-glances fantasy of him I couldn’t watch it. He was unattractive to me in that- and I found the whole thing kind of dull.
He’s also rather creepy and unattractive as the sort-of/maybe/probably/??? rapist in Atonement (I have never been able to satisfactorily parse what’s actually going on in that scene), complete with ugly moustache.
He would be a very good choice to play an angel, including either Azirophale or Crowley from Good Omens