Omid Djalili is to make a comedy pilot for America’s Fox network.

The British-Iranian comic is already known to US audiences for his role as the handyman in Whoopi Goldberg’s prime-time NBC sitcom Whoopi, but the new deal could bring him fame in his own vehicle.

He has chosen veteran sitcom writers David Isaacs and Ken Levine to help him create a script, which will be made into a pilot by the production arm of the prestigious HBO cable network.

Isaacs told the Hollywood Reporter:  "For us, it's such a great head start to have a lead that you know is very funny and relatable.”

The pair have written together for 33 years, including stints on M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier and The Simpsons, collecting five Emmy nominations along the way.

Djalili had struck a development deal with NBC for his own sitcom in 2002, but that came to nothing.