Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch 'saves cyclist from attack  

Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been described as "brave and selfless" after he saved a cyclist who was being attacked, Sky News reports, citing media sources.

The British star, 41, is said to have helped a food delivery rider after he spotted him being beaten up by a gang of four people in central London.

Cumberbatch, who plays the crime-fighting supersleuth in the hit TV drama, was in an taxi on Marylebone High Street with his wife Sophie Hunter when they saw the victim hit over the head with a bottle.

He then reportedly ran towards them shouting to the attackers "leave him alone" and his quick-thinking actions are believed to have stopped the cyclist from suffering serious injuries.

It was claimed the celebrity managed to drag the gang off the victim before they tried to punch Benedict, but he fen­ded them off and they fled.

The assault is said to have happened near Baker Street - the road where the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes lives.