Benedict Cumberbatch and Emma Watson have been voted the sexiest movie stars worldwide.

The 'Sherlock' actor took the top spot in the 50 sexiest males of the moment poll conducted internationally by Empire Online, beating the likes of 'Avengers' star Tom Hiddleston and 'Twilight' favourite Robert Pattinson.

British men feature heavily in the top 50 with James Bond star Daniel Craig coming in 24th and sexy Scot James McAvoy taking the 16th position, just ahead of Tom Hardy in 17th place.

But the hunky actors faced stiff competition from America's finest Ryan Gosling, who sailed into fourth place, and Bradley Cooper, who took the 10th spot.

Meanwhile, 'Harry Potter' actress Emma won the title of sexiest female film star, pushing Scarlett Johnasson into second place and 'The Hunger Games' favourite Jennifer Lawrence into a respectable third.

James Dyer, Editor of Empire Online, said: ''It's a great result for British stars, but what's clear is that it's less important to have lots of casual fans and better to have a dedicated hard-core. The Cumberbabes, Hiddlestoners, Twi-hards and Cavilliers all made their opinions heard!''

The results of the poll are as follows:

Top Ten Sexiest Male Movie Stars:

1. Benedict Cumberbatch

2. Tom Hiddleston

3. Henry Cavill

4. Ryan Gosling

5. Robert Downey Jr.

6. Chris Hemsworth

7. Robert Pattinson

8. Michael Fassbender

9. Hugh Jackman

10. Bradley Cooper

Top Ten Sexiest Female Movie stars:

1. Emma Watson

2. Scarlett Johansson

3. Jennifer Lawrence

4. Kristen Stewart

5. Anne Hathaway

6. Emma Stone

7. Mila Kunis

8. Natalie Portman

9. Angelina Jolie

10. Zoe Saldana