Benedict Cumberbatch stole the the show at the finale of the Letters Live event in London.
The Sherlock actor, 39, made a surprise appearance in the second half to perform a foul-mouthed exchange with comedian Matt Berry.
Benedict also read the final letter of the night by artist Sol Lewitt to fellow artist Eva Hesse, imploring her and the audience to “Do!”
Benedict Cumberbatch (PBG/Empics Entertainment)
Keeping it in the family, his father Timothy Carlton read two letters – one, a heartwarming open letter from Juan Gelman to find his missing grandchild and another in honour of the late Michael White, who died last week.
The letter was from Mark Forstater and had the audience giggling with his reference to the Monty Python And The Holy Grail film.
Letters Live, held at the Freemasons’ Hall, also featured letters read by Jude Law, kicking the night off with a hilarious insurance complaint written by Fred Allen.
Jude Law (Help Refugees)
Later came a poignant letter from former Nasa astronaut Frank Culbertson to Planet Earth after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The evening took a more sombre tone when a refugee, Hassan Akkad, read an open letter to Europe penned by a Syrian refugee living in The Jungle camp in Calais. The event aimed to promote the cause of refugees stranded in Calais and raised funds with a stand in the foyer.
The literary showcase saw appearances from Gillian Anderson, Sir Ian McKellen, Jarvis Cocker, Bob Geldof, John Bishop and Peter Capaldi.
Sir Ian McKellen (Ian West/PA)
Inspired by Shaun Usher’s international best-selling Letters of Note series and Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, Letters Live is a celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence throughout history.
Each show featured a completely different array of great performers, reading remarkably emotive, diverse and surprising letters from around the world.
The shows benefit a range of literary charities, including Ministry of Stories, First Story and Help Refugees.
David Bowie died at the age of 69 from cancer (AP)
The last run of Letters Live events in 2015 saw letters written by people as varied as David Bowie, Marge Simpson, Mohandas Gandhi, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Charlotte Bronte, Richard Burton and Jane Austen read out.
Letters Live is a huge success, with a further 20 to 25 dates set to be announced across 2016 and early 2017.
For tickets and more information about Letters Live, visit Ticketmaster.
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