Benedict Cumberbatch 'bloody good' as Hamlet, according to his mum

Benedict Cumberbatch is a "bloody good Hamlet", his mum has said.

The Sherlock and Imitation Game star's parents Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham joined a host of celebrities in the audience of an early performance.

Speaking after his performance at the Barbican theatre in London, Ms Ventham said they were "extraordinarily proud".

Mr Cumberbatch will be playing the lead role in the modern dress production of the Shakespeare drama until the end of October, with the show becoming the fastest-selling play in British history.

He made his debut in the production earlier this month, and made headlines after pleading with fans not to film his performances, saying he found the experience "mortifying".

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But to see or not to see? That is the question:

The show - which will be released in cinemas worldwide in October - has received mixed reviews:

The Times give it a meagre two stars, dismissing it as "Hamlet for kids raised on the Moulin Rouge". (£)

But the Telegraph's Dominic Cavendish said Cumberbatch's Hamlet justified the hype: "A blazing, five-star Hamlet trapped in a three-star show."

The Guardian was a bit more glum, with Micheal Billington saying that Benedict Cumberbatch is "imprisoned in a dismal production".

International acclaim was certainly more glowing, however, with Ben Brantley from the New York Times saying that Cumberbatch was "Cocooned in an Aura on a London Stage".