This is shaping up to be quite the year for “Sherlock” actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

He’s earning all sorts of plaudits, including Oscar buzz, for his role as Alan Turing in “The Imitation Game.” He’s finally mastered pronunciation of the word “penguin.” And he’s getting married to Sophie Hunter. (The two acted together in “Burlesque Fairytales” five years ago.)

Looks like that steamy Elle UK interview he gave – the one in which he described, in um, rather graphic detail, why Sherlock would be a good lover – was just fan service. In fact, his interviewer, Annabel Brog, actually surmised Cumberbatch was seriously involved:

“Benedict is after the fairy tale. He has been open in the past about wanting marriage and children, then he stopped talking about it – ‘It becomes a national talking point about why I haven’t yet managed that. You know: “Can’t he hold a relationship down?”‘ My guess is that Benedict is a man in love, and making plans already.”

In the same interview, Cumberbatch talked about his then-newfound popularity when “Sherlock” took off, and the way it affected his dating life. It’s a “reaaally double-edged sword,” Cumberbatch said. “It’s important to be able to have some fun with your currency,” but “you know, you discover why people find you attractive – in a relationship, or a tryst – and if it’s just to have a go on you, or try you out, then I can smell that a mile off.”

Hunter has had some small roles in films, including “Vanity Fair,” and won a Samuel Beckett award for her play “The Terrific Electrice,” which she wrote and directed.

– From news service reports