Benedict Cumberbatch on Doctor Strange and being a superhero

HE’S just announced that his wife Sophie Hunter is expecting their second child, but Benedict Cumberbatch is giving little else away on his private life — except to say fatherhood has changed it for the better, writes Gemma Dunn.

“It adds — it never takes away,” says the 40-year-old actor, who became a parent for the first time last year, with the birth of his son, Christopher. “Lots of people, especially women, get told, ‘Oh you know, it’s going to really affect your career’, and it does, but for the better in most cases that I know.

“I am in a very privileged position in my career, but I think everyone — even if they’re in a challenging time in their life — draws strength from their children. They’re inspirations rather than hindrances.”