He will play himself in the so-called "geekcom," which focuses on the lives of four socially awkward scientists and their actress neighbour, alongside the character of Sheldon Cooper played by Jim Parsons.

Producers had asked the Brief History of Time author to appear on the show several times in the past, but he had been too ill to accept.

The Big Bang Theory is the second most popular sitcom in the United States, after Two and a Half Men. Professor Hawking's episode will air in America next month, and on Channel 4 on a date yet to be announced.

He has previously lent his mechanical voice, which he has had since losing his own voice to motor neurone disease, to the animated shows The Simpsons and Futurama.

Last year, the 70-year-old professor hosted his own Channel 4 television series, Brave New World, which looked at scientific developments and how they could change the world.