As a father of one, with another on the way, Benedict Cumberbatch believes he is well placed to dispute the commonly held belief that childrearing stymies a woman’s career.

In fact, he says, having children gives you extra strength and experience to draw on.

The star of Sherlock and the newly released blockbuster, Dr Strange, became a father last year with the birth of his son Christopher and has just announced his wife Sophie is expecting their second.