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Benedict Cumberbatch has spoken for the first time about stepping in to stop a cyclist being robbed in central London.

The Sherlock star told chat show host Ellen DeGeneres he saw a "delivery guy getting surrounded by some guys" last November and stopped to intervene.

"I didn't think twice about knives or acid or any of the other things that can be part of that situation so it was a bit foolhardy," he revealed.

The star was hailed a hero when details of the incident .

In an interview broadcast on Monday, though, the actor said it had "all got a bit exaggerated" and that he felt "a bit weird talking about it."

It was reported in June that Cumberbatch was in an Uber car with wife Sophie Hunter when he saw four alleged muggers set upon a Deliveroo cyclist in Marylebone High Street.

The driver of the car said that the actor "jumped out, ran over and pulled the men away" and that the alleged assailants had eventually run away.

"I just stopped the Uber that we were in and got out and tried to calm the kids down," said Cumberbatch when asked about the incident by DeGeneres.

"I also tried to stop traffic so they could witness it and if anything did happen, there were people there and that might scare any violence out of the situation."

No arrests were made after the incident, which was reported to the police at the time.

Cumberbatch recently filmed a Channel 4 docudrama about the Brexit referendum and will soon be heard playing the title character in animated film The Grinch.

The 42-year-old was in Los Angeles last week for the Emmys, where he was up for best lead actor in a limited series or movie for his role in Patrick Melrose.

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