Earlier this month we reported that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch had beaten such world figures as Barack Obama and Lady Gaga in a poll to decide the final name on Time magazine’s prestigious 100 List.

Now, Cumberbatch has responded to the news that he came seventh out of the 150 candidates vying for the place, saying: "Apparently I beat the leader of the free world. How do you like that? It's ridiculous. I'm slightly flattered. It might be an alphabetical thing. It's crazy. It's really crazy."

And Cumberbatch said his achievements as an actor did not compare with those of some of the other names featured in the poll – or with those of unsung heroes in other professions.

"Some of the people on that list of nominees have done fantastic things with their lives. Some of the people that aren't on that list, but should be, like teachers in the UK, like doctors, like soldiers in f***ing wars, in combat situations which we can't possibly imagine, thousands of miles away,” he told Zap2it.

“Yeah, even some of the politicians - some of them do very good things (all of them do very good things some of the time) - brain surgeons, midwives, parents. I'm not even a parent. Parents go through more than I do,” he added.

And Cumberbatch suggested that as gratifying as his popularity is, he also finds being a rising star somewhat disconcerting.

"Come on, you know what it's about," he said. "It's flavour-of-the-month stuff, and that scares me as much as it thrills me. 

"It's kind of inspiring in a way, because you look at it and think, 'I'm not really worthy of my entry in this.' It's bizarre and humbling and silly, rather than something to frame and look at and take very seriously."