Benedict Cumberbatch's fan club gets latest and possibly hairiest member: An adoring 300 pound gorilla

'She loves English men', says documentary producer

Benedict Cumberbatch (Getty)

Benedict Cumberbatch has found a new fan.

While the actor has a strong legion of Sherlock fans on both sides of the Atlantic, the latest addition to the fan club is a gorilla.

Koko, the western lowland gorilla, is the new feature of a BBC documentary Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks To People. Its producer Bridget Appleby told the Radio Times that Koko has grown attracted to Cumberbatch’s voice, which she grew affection for after watching DVDs of his work.

“Apparently she has a big crush on him,” Appleby said. “She loves English men."

The producer added that her love of Englishmen came after she sat for the artist Richard Stone, who has previously done portraits for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

Koko was born in San Francisco zoo in 1971 and was taught sign language by graduate student Penny Patterson, who she was initially loaned to for research as a one-year-old. The 44-year-old gorilla , who according to the BBC weighs 300 pounds, has stayed with Dr Patterson, 70, ever since and Dr Patterson claims she knows 1,000 signs.