SHERLOCK HOLMES VILLAIN COMES OUT

Andrew Scott, the Irish actor who plays Moriarty in the BBC’s international hit series Sherlock has revealed that he is gay.

Scott (37) found fame playing the legendary sleuth’s nemesis in the show and went on to win a best supporting actor Bafta award last year for his performance.

He spoke about his sexuality in an interview with The Independent while discussing another role, that of a Russian spy in a new once-off drama, Legacy.

Scott said that he developed his Russian accent after watching YouTube videos of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“But then Putin introduced anti-gay legislation this summer – so, being a gay person, I switched to Rudolf Nureyev videos instead. It was another Nureyev defection of sorts!”

Scott went on to say: “Mercifully, these days people don’t see being gay as a character flaw. But nor is it a virtue, like kindness. Or a talent, like playing the banjo. It’s just a fact.

“Of course, it’s part of my make-up, but I don’t want to trade on it. I am a private person; I think that’s important if you’re an actor. But there’s a difference between privacy and secrecy, and I’m not a secretive person. Really I just want to get on with my job, which is to pretend to be lots of different people. Simple as that.”

It remains to be seen if Scott will return to playing Moriarty after the character was killed off in Sherlock, but it hasn’t been ruled out.