Martin Freeman has said he loves having his real-life partner, Amanda Abbington, with him on set in the new series of Sherlock.
Amanda has been cast as Mary Morstan, a love interest for Martin's character Dr John Watson, and he said she was very deserving of the role.
"It wasn't a John and Yoko thing, where I said, 'I want my missus in'," he said. "I think they [the casting directors] had thought about it, and I think Amanda is a really good Mary. If she was nothing to do with me, she'd still be someone who'd definitely come up for it."
But Amanda has received abusive messages and even death threats on Twitter since she was announced as the actress playing Mary.
Martin said: "It's ridiculous. To me, they're not fans of the show - they're fans of a show going on in their heads."
The couple met on the set of Men Only in 2000 and Martin said that they have a 'lovely shorthand' when they work together.
He said of their journeys to and from set: "If you're lucky enough to work with your missus or mister, and you actually want to and get on with them, it does help if you're filming away from home."
Martin added that there were benefits to working together: "You can see them more than you would normally."
Sherlock premieres on BBC One on Wednesday, January 1.
