Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey read letters from wartime lovers

[@carlhicksjr8401]

OK, you **know** it's a good love letter when it makes a reader blush 75 years later. Well done, Bessie, WELL done....

[@MelissaThompson432]

That's it. It's my "vital, vibrant spot" from now on....

[@Cdodders27]

Imagine knowing in 70 years time someone will be reading your private correspondence out loud to an audience

[@ursusmega2803]

I am so glad she wrote back!

[@laurensdesmet70]

Oh god… Whatsapp Chats Live. The horror.

[@a.t.c.3862]

It won't happen, we don't write letters anymore.

[@kored8688]

@@a.t.c.3862 Of course we do? People have never communicated as much in text as we do now.

[@Lilacleaf49065]

And reflecting upon how beautiful life and love are

[@JachAnen]

"Talk about untapped resources" brilliant

[@searsfarmcat3328]

I'm 71 and I miss this. Thirty years ago, in an old wooden chest in an abandoned shed on family property, I found a few letters written in the 50's by a distant ancestor. They spoke of ordinary daily dealings of that time. I cherish these and regret that our age of technology has made letters obsolete. To be able to look back in history with actual written words is a gift to treasure.

[@VictoriaForSale]

I still write letters to my beloved and he happens to answer me from time to time though he said he never learned handwriting very well (what is true) but he even wrote me poems. we live in separate countries since 4 years and I wrote several letters to him though we talk and write every day (even sleeping together at night by using phone and a kind of Skype). I never want to stop even if he has a hard time reading my writing. It's one of the loveliest gifts to give to a beloved person in my opinion. It combines time, thoughts, emotions and tells stories. I wish all people would sometimes write letters to their loves ones.

[@MelissaThompson432]

Do you mean the 1850s? Surely not the decade you were born.... My grandparents were born during the 1870s. Roughly 10 years after Laura Ingalls, to put it in perspective. My grandfather was born in Minnesota the same year Baby Grace was born in Iowa.

[@M-T-123]

I like to write to my granddaughters!

[@ywoulduchoosetousethis]

I see nothing wrong in writing love letters traveling by email. I wrote them when I dated regardless of whether they visited later or not.

[@catheryndumas5033]

@@VictoriaForSale exactly I write a handwritten notes to people all the time and I take like 30 damaged to envelopes and use a whole bunch of different shape pond punches to cut the corners and like with lace pattern or spiderweb and make a little poke poke pin patterns all the way through like that you see the lights with little swirls and bees, and things all over the envelopes and any area that stains. I will use old make up to like kind of smear like chocolate or old of stamps to just kind of like brush the edges a little bit and kind of smeared out so it’s very faded and then the envelopes look so pretty and I’ve spent so much time concentrating on the person that the letter is truly an extra gift because the whole time I’m focusing so much good energy on making something beautiful. I think that that that thing is such a unhealthy or that word we’ve lied to unhealthy things for us to not do with us anymore and also like doing your dishes by hand or any kind of mundane task for your brain can reboot itself while you were awake instead of sleep for you you start dreaming and your brain is hard for you sometimes differentiate between what was the dream and what is reality would lead you on the brain to dementia, so just doing things you old-fashioned away so much better for us

[@Atlantya]

Lordy. I didn’t think anything about Benedict Cumberbatch could get sexier, but the shots of him so intently watching the woman reading her letter, he’s positively smoldering.

[@GeorgiaDCA]

How wonderful they went on to get married and raise a family! Together for 50+ years!

[@murrumbidgeekid]

how do you know this?

[@frasersgirl4383]

This is exactly how I felt about my lover at sixteen years old who would become my husband thirty years later. ❤️💫❤️. I feel the same today at 61.

[@zoccolilombardogremillionf9004]

That’s such a beautiful statement :- )

[@jonathanwalther]

That's so sweet! BUT, what happened the thirty(?!) years in between first crush and marriage? Thirty, really? My dear .... Must have been several Wars? Or numerous Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayan expeditions? Building a hidden Moon base? Sailing the World like Magellan? Wandering through endless jungles and discovering new species? Being a lone cave monk?

[@kristofferhellstrom]

That's beautiful!

[@aileen694]

@@jonathanwalther ?

[@jonathanwalther]

@@aileen694 I just speculated what might have happened in these 30 years. Why it took so long. (It was a joke)

[@zeerak4905]

"you have to be abroad. you have to be really truly hermetically sealed off from your intimates, from your home, to realize what a gift this going home is"

[@VelvetCrone]

Amen

[@hanna50000]

Louise Brealey is such a talent. She plays such diverse characters and nails every one of them.

[@GreenRazzles]

Finally, Sherlock and Molly together at last

[@kevinlin5323]

the season 5 we want

[@emilyholloway5445]

erm wat? i didn't know sherolly shippers actually existed... well you do you I guess

[@UTAStudios]

My thoughts precisely. Your comment actually made my day. Can't even count the number of times I watched the opening sequence of The Empty Hearse, just to see that window scene...

[@christinabeyer9298]

This are Ben and Louise and not Sherlock and Molly. Please don't confuse the actors with they characters they played.

[@GreenRazzles]

@@christinabeyer9298 well, they're not Ben and Louise here either, they're Chris and Bessie. Don't worry, I know the difference between fiction and reality - the comment was merely a bit of fun.

[@SouthCountyGal]

Bessie Moore had a beautiful style of writing, and a delightful, open expression of self. Chris Barker, for all the trauma he experienced, seems to have been steadfast and loving. He's coming home after at least two years, and he's trying to figure out how to give everyone who loves him as much time and attention as possible. I hope they had a long, loving marriage.

[@Dave_Sisson]

Good news. Their son discovered their letters after they had lived a long and joyful life together and their granddaughter wrote the preface to the published letters. That's the best possible outcome.

[@campervannie5948]

That is truly wonderful ❤

[@cards0486]

Oh, this was so marvelous!! The difference in what a woman will open up and tell a man and what a man will tell a woman is so funny. “If I were there you wouldn’t need any blankets.” “Many people will be wanting time with me, I know you understand.” I loved having these two reading the letters. They’re darling together.

[@SouthCountyGal]

I think some of that difference might also have been due to his time as a POW, and the different circumstances at the time each letter was written. It sounds like Chris had written some pretty steamy letters himself, since Bessie says she likes knowing that he is focused on her body and not anybody else's. But it did strike me as funny that she was talking about being changed from ice into fire, and he's talking train timetables. lol!

[@murrumbidgeekid]

@@SouthCountyGal I thought that same thing. He was in a very different context.

[@shirleynitka5030]

wow I can imagine how hard it was for Louise to read those early lines with Ben looking & smiling at her. It's really Molly with her lipstick on.

[@deemura]

She's playing a character. She actually doesn't have a crush on Benedict

[@shirleynitka5030]

@@deemura have you seen the way she looks at him during the award shows? She genuinely loves him. It doesn't mean she's in love with him but she does care deeply about him as her friend. He chooses what she reads.

[@maargenbx1454]

I love that these letters are about the people writing them, not about the readers at all.

[@Zonker66]

I only found 'Letters Live' today... how have I never heard of this channel or production? These are fantastic.

[@junejunie2284]

I found "Letters Live" just a month ago. I share your sentiment 'These are fantastic'! I find myself doling them out one or two at a time to stretch out the enjoyment.

[@wendysimpson6395]

Me too! Have been binging.

[@feliciagaffney1998]

Same here. Feb, 2024.

[@kh7794]

July 3, 2024...one of the worst days of my life. Luckily the first one that popped into my feed was the latest about the speeding ticket dated the day he was born. I miss being able to have a life that let's me relax enough to have that sense of humor

[@ConstanceHarker]

Listen to the one about the seagulls.

[@eleanorigbymin4355]

Where are my SHERLOLLY fans out there?! This one is my most favorite interaction of Ben and Loo in Letters live ❤❤❤

[@Ornithorhynchus.]

Present

[@ANN-ug2hd]

Present

[@benedictcumberbatch3021]

Thank you for your comments and support, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. Keep supporting❤️❤️ Send me a mail via gmail : [e-mail]

[@Serenity113]

Present!

[@skylerdrake05]

🖐️

[@sarahsteffanny8963]

Oh god! She looks like nervous reading to him😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 she represents us

[@gonnabeok.]

This is the best reading. They are so funny and good together. Think I'll watch Sherlock again. Xxx

[@clovermark39]

Watched it recently. It’s still brilliant.

[@mikecallahan8234]

I absolutely love that generation. They had to grow up so fast because of the war. Yet maintained what innocence they could. I have listened to their memories of what was, always a hunger within me to hear more. I shall never forget that generation.

[@monikahanus9183]

The beauty of these letters brought me to tears. So honest and heartfelt.

[@cralphs7505]

I never tire if hearing these letters between the two .

[@darmastutidarmastuti]

Amazing and brilliant...their were just reading it for us...but i feel like watching love story... Both of them it's truly great actor and actress..i loved the way their looking at each other while reading the letter.. I watch this over and over again, never bored..

[@lynngillogley1279]

Beautifully read and the pauses were magical. I felt I was looking over the writers' shoulders. New subscriber.

[@AllTheArtsy]

The man sounds like an aloof jerk.... until you remember that he's a soldier at war taken in as a POW and is just concentrating on getting back home finally after some years. This was a wonderful reading!

[@qua9]

Who would prefer not to get married LOL

[@deborahlanphear8863]

Not only that, but he was so respectful to her, especially for that time. Telling her she didn't need to make a fuss over him, he clearly has respect for exactly who she is. Beautiful.

[@SweetCarolineBAMBAMBAM]

​@@qua9yeah I started noticing that every few lines he hinted to keeping them a low key thing. Not getting married. Not getting dressed up. Not being outwardly excited or tell ANYONE about them. I think that he is married and wanted to keep his "mistress" and "our affair" secret ngl

[@noeldown1952]

@@SweetCarolineBAMBAMBAM Except that they did get married upon his return and spent the rest of their lives together.

[@lyudmilakryuchkova2578]

@@SweetCarolineBAMBAMBAM There is no need to invent something that does not exist and never happened. The history of these people is known. You can find it and read it, and their other letters as well. They had met, got married, had children. It was their sons who send on their parents' letters to Letters Live.

[@Bruno-tm3xo]

These letters are the very reason why since a very early age I was fascinated by the English language, in my view one of the most beautiful languages along with German. There is this stuck up stiffed upper lip side, but yet, so much feeling……a lot more daring than what the french would allow themselves to write. A top of it, this incredible sense of humour that start with self mockery…….the best way to keep drama at bay. These 2 fantastic actors are the best incentive for non English speaking to learn English.

[@shrutitiwari8886]

Try listening to Tom Hiddleston Sir. He has a brilliant pronounciation too.

[@Bruno-tm3xo]

@@shrutitiwari8886 true…..great actor too

[@OneMate4Life]

The only problem is, these letters are from decades ago, and far more eloquent than anything anyone writes or speaks today. So, sadly, I feel like these letters would be a great incentive, but the reality would be quite a disappointment/letdown.

[@mitchweiner]

I’ve been binging Letters Live ever since it popped up in my feed!

[@cylimcp508]

Gah they are always so adorable doing chris and bessie. they need to do a live action miniseries based on these!

[@HunterElvis11]

“You have to be truly, hermetically sealed off from your intimates, from your home, to realize what a GIFT THIS GOING HOME IS.” 🛸☯️🛸

[@benedictcumberbatch3021]

Thank you for your comments and support, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. Keep supporting❤️❤️ Send me a mail via gmail : [e-mail]

[@skye-and-clouds]

?

[@HunterElvis11]

The feeling of love I think they compare that with the feeling of home. It’s a more magnified feeling, the more you let you of expectations.

[@realhorrorshow8547]

It's been said that the younger generation always think they've invented sex, yet Bessie sounds quite the hottie. Chris, don't you pass up a good thing!

[@annmitchell4663]

There's nothing the younger generation do that hasn't been done before...lol

[@vrhetinst]

@Real Horrorshow He did not. In the larger collection of clips in which I found this piece originally, the narrator said that Chris and Bessie were married, shortly after the war.

[@realhorrorshow8547]

@@vrhetinst Good for them.

[@Priyanka-vr2yi]

They married, had children and lived up to 90 years

[@jamssy3409]

we don't think we invented sex lmao

[@paulamusik2509]

These were the most hilarious war letters I have ever heard of.

Thank you for this, this is my most helpful healing portion of today

[@GABISNAIL]

They had to stand 45 feet apart or the power of the letters would prove too much 😂

[@someone-ye8pp]

02:15 she's so adorable

[@HanSlu27]

I have been waiting for this reading! They are so adorable! 😊 Thank you!

[@benedictcumberbatch3021]

Thank you for your comments and support, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. Keep supporting❤️❤️ Send me a mail via gmail : [e-mail]

[@scott2836]

Louise Brealey and Benedict Cumberbatch are such excellent actors and interpreters. They must be so tired of being shipped by us, and yet we cheerfully go on with it, because they are just so wonderful together.

[@JadeTheorist3942]

5:51 7:27 Louise is Me whenever I hear Benedict's voice and see his face. He is so gorgeous and a talented actor! 😍

[@ОльгаВялкова-м6ю]

Какое наслаждение просто слушать голос Бенедикта.

[@matt_cummins28]

Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for uploading.

[@zekelucente9702]

It’s such a shame that the art of letter writing has been mostly lost. I have letters from family going back nearly 100 years and the most average people wrote so beautifully and with such legible cursive penmanship.

[@anitawebster9450]

That was glorious! And parts reminded me of my feelings when I was texting with my now husband while we were still on separate continents...😏

[@1chelp]

Incredibly touching....

[@VooDooley]

Do I cry or laugh? Such beauty

[@Abby-xe3sc]

Ohhh Mrs Hudson left England..... Rip *sobbing *

[@maeganmurphy2096]

This is the funniest thing I have seen in ages.

[@PamelaTitterington]

Oh I do enjoy these readings,talented people breathes life into the letters, glimpses of the past so thankyou 🌹

[@jom3268]

I never tire of hearing these.

[@divakarable]

Beautiful presentation 😁

[@BettieMcclellan]

Oh that voice, he could convince you of anything, she’s so sweet reading those deepest feelings💖

[@CMDRunematti]

well, these letters are blatant privacy violation! great stuff to listen to :D

[@shadowjack8]

Just beautiful, I loved every syllable.

[@mareikedregger1513]

Cannot but help of thinking of the SNL Skids „letters from war“ which are hilarious… devastating always for the soldier, but hilarious 😆

[@k0d3skin0s]

7:18 "............ How good for us to see each other before I am COMPLETELY bald! 😀"

[@annetracey5838]

Totally amazing. Love it.

[@АгатаДиРосси]

Oh my favourite duet! Perfect 💖

[@iwasalllikeomg]

This should be a podcast!

[@BeingHuman100]

Beautiful. The letters are beautiful….

[@noeraldinkabam]

God, I hope he came home to her.

[@ОльгаВялкова-м6ю]

Луиза до сих пор волнуется при виде Бенедикта, видно что до сих пор она к нему не равнодушна. Такой человек, как Бенедикт никого не может оставить равнодушным, просто красавец!

[@happyhedgehogfoods9483]

If anyone has audible down load the radio programme of letters of wartime lovers

[@sarmisthabanerjee4234]

I am a Sherlolly lover. And I want both Ben and Lou together in more and more projects.

[@mariamartamarcolinocava1551]

Congratulations!!! Very good!!!

[@AngelicusImmortus]

It took less than 30 seconds to recognise the voices speaking… And knowing her blushes came from reading it and looking at Mr.C.

[@Apache-lj7tx]

Write a letter.. ..to a loved one.. .. bless!

[@archismandas7760]

Remember....one day your chats will be leaked by facebook or whatsapp too 😂 and maybe after fifty years they will also be read 😂

[@davidlloyd3116]

I wish we all wrote more in the days of texting and social media.

[@lg1374]

I was asking myself why I havnt wach this before until I saw It was published 1 week ago

[@annienmouse9767]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder ❤️

[@rackpunch4026]

Absinthe.....

[@adrianamalvasio5140]

Congratulations! I love both, finally together!😍😍😍

[@ebosaifuobhokhan1587]

Awwww I love this.

[@anorawalker441]

I'm screaming!!! This is the closure we needed from Sherlock lol Oh, my heart.

[@karolineboje]

AMAZING

[@prachi5899]

2020 - 2021.. coronovirus pandemic.. when we r locked up in our homes.. can relate to the horrible period of war, Spanish flu, etc

[@anna-brittaandersson4251]

Here we have loveletters between to loving people.❤️❤️ I just love it.❤️❤️😷

[@J0v0756]

From a historical perspective, I think these letters were wonderful. Letters (especially love letters) are non-existent these days. So I thoroughly enjoyed how beautifully written her letter was as well as quite funny. Two great actors brought it to life.

[@mvubu6823]

I have the letters my grandparents exchanged whilst he was a POW at Stalag IVB along with his diary. they are VERY similar. Desperately lonely young people, with only sweet memories to distract them from the horrors of war

[@bloodisfrightening1203]

We all someday want to feel like an iceberg for someone.

[@murrumbidgeekid]

wow! How incredible that just reading can bring such vitality. They are so skilled. I wonder what happened to them.

[@liquidsonly]

Love Louise Brealey.

[@nguyenlan4223]

I sent this to my first love months ago. We were in a long distance relationship, kinda related to these letters. And we just broke up yesterday… It breaks my heart and I don’t know what to do.

[@ud2278]

Are you okay?

[@nothing.lasts.forever]

Sherlock Molly 💞

[@islaamore3027]

Even here, Sherlock has refused to marry Molly!😂🤣😂🤣😭😭 oh my days!

[@maryblack1356]

Wouldn't it be fantastic to hear Benedict Cumberbatch read "Hapworth 16, 1924" by Salinger?

[@rosemorris7912]

Bessie! Dayam, girl!

[@JadeTheorist3942]

2:09 They are adorable!!!😍

[@jobelles87]

I see sherlock and molly, i sub

[@alisonwonderland8680]

whatever happened to Bessie and Chris? Did they get married?

[@Ohhellodenisse]

yes, they got married.

[@troublessavage]

"I must be with you" *ad* 😰

[@TheTrwebster]

A couple of years ago, i found the letters my mom's parents wrote in the summer of 1927. Madeline was 23, Wes was 18. His parents had sent him to work 40+ miles away to get him away from her. Didn't work. There's a reference Wes made about Madeline being his 'red hot mama' and he wasn't kidding. My uncle was born 6 months before they were married. They were married 65 years.

[@JenG-dz3yg]

❤

[@iflipandtumble]

MY EYES ARE JUST SWEATING I SW-

[@leylaozen1655]

HAHA MOLLY

[@betenoireindustries]

imagine that lady at 80.

[@maargenbx1454]

2:22 When Molly said “I want to fuss you” I thought she was paraphrasing 😳

[@aspiringva5935]

Omg shes so nervous infront of him😂

[@7ebr830]

There were bits there when I felt I was intruding on something that is none of my business. I couldn't finish it.

[@mat9813004]

Well golly.

[@posie7617]

I was just thinking about bendict 😂

[@SKN1763]

I want to know what became of Bessie and Chris. Did they meet up when he got back to England … did he change his mind about them getting married?

[@mortalclown3812]

Look them up! 😊

[@NomadSubstituteTeacher]

😮 oh wow. He was a pow in WWII

[@dc5592]

Does anyone know if they get to read these before? Or do they just get it and start talking