US network signs Brit-Iranian comic

Omid Djalili has signed a deal to develop a new sitcom for American TV.

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has been named as a possible producer of the show, targeted for autumn next year.

It will be based on the British-Iranian comic's Perrier-nominated act, covering the collision of his Western and Middle Eastern backgrounds, especially in the wake of September 11.

NBC executive Marc Hirschfeld called Djalili "the best comic that you don't know".

He told trade newspaper The Hollywood Reporter: "He is a character actor who is like a bigger-than-life John Goodman, a big lovable guy."

Djalili wowed TV executives when he appeared at the Montreal comedy festival earlier this year.

Published: 14 Oct 2002