Benedict Cumberbatch immortalized in chocolate

British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been immortalized in chocolate in his native U.K. as part of a TV promotional event.

A team of eight artists was commissioned by bosses at the UKTV network to create the life-size sculpture of The Imitation Game star to mark the launch of its new Drama channel, after the Oscar nominee was named Britain's dishiest (hottest) TV drama actor in a new survey, which was conducted for the broadcaster.

The finished product, which took 250 hours of work, went on display at London's Westfield Stratford City shopping mall on Good Friday (03Apr15), just in time for Easter.

The edible statue stands at six feet (1.83 meters) tall, just like the real Cumberbatch himself, and was crafted using 500 bars of Belgian milk chocolate, weighing in at about 88 pounds (40 kilograms).

The artists' lead sculptor, Tim Simpson, says, "You can't rush perfection. Benedict has such a distinctive look that it was a challenge but a pleasure, to recreate him in chocolate. A secret combination of methods ensured we got a great likeness - we're sure his legions of fans will approve!"

Cumberbatch narrowly beat former Doctor Who star David Tennant to the survey title, while Game of Thrones' Sean Bean, The Wire's Idris Elba and Homeland's Damian Lewis rounded out the top five.