Mark Gatiss Marrying Longtime Civil Partner Ian Hallard

A student at Linn-Benton Community College, Cody Gotchall pursues coursework in, among other things, business and databases. Cody Gotchall counts the BBC hit Sherlock among his favorite television series.

Known to Sherlock fans for playing opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular character as brother Mycroft Holmes, Mark Gatiss recently revealed that he plans on marrying his longtime partner, Ian Hallard. Gatiss has also appeared in Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and The League of Gentlemen.

The couple plans to marry in 2018, although the two have already been civil partners for 10 years. In an interview with Attitude magazine, Gatiss joked that they were “upgrading” and getting married, in part, for the free white wine.

Later, the interview took a more serious tone, as the topic turned to civil rights. Gatiss argued that the right to marry is not a special privilege, but simply an extension of the rights already afforded to everyone else.

Gatiss and Hallard first met via an online dating site, though they were initially too embarrassed to admit it to their families, saying instead that they met at a party. On the topic of the wedding, Hallard said that the two considered their civil partnership to be their wedding, so they do not plan to have another ceremony.