Yes, I do.

I don't have any problem with the vowel at the beginning, I hear it as a short "e" or close enough to it not to notice. If he's saying "pang-" instead of "peng-" that just sounds British.

But he absolutely does put a "g" sound on the end. And just as the host says, the first time it sounds fine, but as he repeats it, it seems to get stronger. And it does become annoying and comic. I don't blame Cumberbatch, I blame the filmmaker for not noticing it and correcting it.

Yes, Cumberbatch definitely says "pengwing." ("Pengwin" would be correct, and is probably the way it would be spelled if English had phonetic spelling.)

This might be hypercorrection. It is very common to <em>omit</em> the g sound in words that end with <em>-ing</em>. According to stereotype--I don't know if it's true--British aristocrats do it. They go huntin' and fishin'. It is also quite characteristic of US casual speech, and some US regions. It is so common that you could argue about whether it is even an error.

However, careful speakers, in a context like the narration of a documentary, would be trying to use "good diction" and would be careful to pronounce the <em>g</em> in <em>-ing.</em> So perhaps Cumberbatch feels that <em>pengwin'</em> is a sloppy pronunciation of <em>pengwing,</em> "hypercorrects," and puts in the <em>-g. </em>

The fact that birds have <em>wings</em> could also make -<em>wing</em> feel "right." Red-winged blackbirds are often called "redwings," so why not "pengwings?"

I would not worry about this, though, as the sounds <em>are</em> very similar. And, as I said, <em>leaving out</em> the <em>g</em> in <em>-ing</em> would hardly be noticed.

I made a recording:

"Penguin. Pengwing. Penguin. Pengwing. Penguin. Pengwing. Penguin. Pengwing."

His pronunciation of the vowels is fairly standard. The problem is that he doesn't really pronounce the G; he merely pronounces the first N in the same position as a G would be pronounced. To a native English speaker, it sounds like he's saying "peng-wins" instead of the usual "pen-guins".

@Phil

@Dan

I understand what you are talking about, but still can't hear the difference)) thanks for recording it, Dan.