“I’ve done far more exposing things in the past and that was without doubt the most nervous I’ve ever been - it was terrifying!”

That was Benedict Cumberbatch’s take on his strut down the runway as part of the inaugural London men’s fashion week.

Clutching a glass of whisky, a cigar – and a statuesque catwalk model – the Sherlock star did perhaps appear a little less confident than his detective alter ego, as he turned Playboy to show off some offerings from luxury tailor brand Spencer Hart (music).

Dressed in a plush smoking jacket, Cumberbatch said he was attempting to channel “A slightly younger, less aged Hugh Hefner… that was what I was going for.”

And he admitted it was very different experience from his usual work: “Most actors I know can't stand still shoots. Models are brilliant at puling a pose and coming out with characters and attitudes," he told GQ.com. "Actors need continual action in a way - we need to be embroiled in something, like a conversation… 

"But having said that it was good fun - and it’s a great adrenalin rush.”

Watch Benedict's catwalk run, and the interview, below.

For more news, features and photos on Sherlock and its star, visit Sherlock Times