Martin Freeman put his foot in it after accepting his best-supporting actor prize at the British Academy TV awards last weekend.

Elated by the acknowledgment for his turn as Dr Watson in Sherlock, Martin mentioned that Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the title character in the top-notch series, would be joining him in New Zealand for the shooting of Peter Jackson's T he Hobbit. What's the problem? Well, Cumberbatch's involvement in the film was supposed to be a big secret. Freeman, Bilbo Baggins in the film, rapidly owned up to his faux pas. He commented: "I knew I was a big mouth, I didn't know how much of a big mouth, and I've ruined everything. And now I might not have a job to go back to!" It is still not known what part Cumberbatch is scheduled to play.