Benedict Cumberbatch makes the ice bucket challenge actually seem like a good idea

Benedict Cumberbatch makes the ice bucket challenge actually seem like a good idea
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube)

The ice bucket challenge has raised a lot of money for ALS research — more than the ALS Association raised in all of 2012. But new ice bucket videos, whether from celebrities or in your Facebook feed, are being met with groans at this point. "Can't we just donate without dumping ice on ourselves?" seems to be the common consensus.

But there's one ice bucket challenge video posted today that stands above the rest, and not only because it features a genuine heartthrob. Unlike most takers of the challenge, Benedict Cumberbatch begins his video with a little explanation of what, exactly, ALS is. (Let's be real, not all of your friends posting their own videos know what ALS stands for.)

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.