Absolutely Fabulous: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down a cameo in the star-studded movie

'What is it with actors? We are offering tiny, tiny, tiny roles that will take up minuscule amounts of time and it’s, ‘Oh no, sorry, I’m busy doing films'

Pretty much everybody who's anybody is cameoing in this year's Absolutely Fabulous movie.

From Kate Moss to Jon Hamm, Daisy Lowe to Joan Collins; yet, there's one major name that's given the Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders comedy a miss.

Sherlock himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, was approached to pick up a cameo; but was forced to decline due to his loaded filming schedule, Lumley has revealed.

Writing in the Telegraph, the actress stated, "Our director, is trying to lock down the casting of cameo roles between takes and sometimes I have to sit with her in a nice chair, eating a delicious Brie baguette, and throwing out names like ‘Benedict Cumberbatch'."

"Although Benedict Cumberbatch, it turns out," she continued. "Is busy for the next five and a half years. What is it with actors? We are offering tiny, tiny, tiny roles that will take up minuscule amounts of time and it’s, ‘Oh no, sorry, I’m busy doing films,’ or, ‘So sorry, I am going round the world with all my actor friends for the next two years,’ or a simple, ‘I’m dead'".

Even the very fact his own real life mother was making an appearance in the film didn't seem to sway Cumberbatch; with actress Wanda Ventham picking up the role of Edina's rich aunt Violet.

Ventham will already be familiar to Sherlock fans; she also happened to play Cumberbatch's mother on the series alongside her husband, and his father, Timothy Carlton.

Absolutely Fabulous hits UK cinemas 1 July.