Eddie Izzard could be the next British star to appear in The Simpsons.

Creator Matt Groening is said to be keen to find a cameo role for the comic after meeting him at last week’s British Comedy Awards.

The animator called Izzard ‘a genius’, but said he would have to wait for a suitable role to arise before he could join the residents of Springfield

Groening told The Independent: “There's no saying who we'll get him to play, but we often don't get people to play themselves. As soon as the right part comes along, we'll get Eddie in.”

Izzard is a die-hard Simpsons fan, who has previously sat in on a script read-through with the cast.

In a recent interview, he said: “I’d love to be in it, but they never asked me, and I don’t want to push it. I think it’s because I’m a cult – rather than a mainstream – name.”

But Izzard’s profile in the States is on the rise, and he has just taken a role in the Hollywood blockbuster Oceans Twelve.