Benedict Cumberbatch, fiancee Sophie Hunter expecting baby

LONDON - There's good news - again - from "Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch.

The actor and theater director Sophie Hunter announced in November that they were engaged. Now the couple says they are expecting their first baby.

Cumberbatch's spokeswoman, Karon Maskill, confirmed the news in a brief statement Wednesday, saying "they are both over the moon."

Cumberbatch, 38, rose to global popularity with his modern-day portrayal of Britain's most famous sleuth in the BBC series "Sherlock." He has also garnered praise for his role as World War II code-breaker Alan Turing in the film "The Imitation Game."

Hunter, 36, is known as a director of avant-garde plays. She has also appeared in films, including the 2009 thriller "Burlesque Fairytales," which she and Cumberbatch appeared in together.