Benedict Cumberbatch explains his old school wedding announcement to Sophie Hunter

The actor said it’s what he would have done “if I wasn’t famous”

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is one of our straight allies (Getty Images)

Benedict Cumberbatch surprised both the public and the press with his admirably discreet engagement announcement last week, publishing a small notification in the classified section of The Times.

Eschewing months of media speculation and paparazzi hounding, the Sherlock Holmes actor opted for a quieter, traditional route.

He will marry British director and actress Sophie Hunter.

“It’s what I would have done if I wasn’t famous,” he told USA Today.

“It’s a normal thing to do in my country. It was a way of telling our friends who we hadn’t been able to tell before (they saw) some grainy shot of a ring on her finger.”

The announcement read:

Hunter and Cumberbatch acted alongside each other in 2009 film Burlesque Fairytales, set in a Thirties London theatre.

His friend Matthew Goode agreed that it was “old school”, adding, “I like that.”

Talking at a Chanel-hosted screening of Cumberbatch’s new film, The Imitation Game, in Los Angeles Goode said that plans for a stag do were in the pipeline.

“He’s getting on a plane so we won’t have much time,” said Goode. “We’ll do it in New York maybe, at my place.”

In addition to being an award-winning director, Hunter is also bilingual (she studied at Oxford), a highly skilled equestrian, pianist and athlete. She’s also recorded an album with Guy Chambers, in which she sang in French and she breezily runs four theatre companies.