Stephen Merchant and his long-term writing partner Ricky Gervais, have a new sitcom in the pipeline, and it is about a dwarf.

"We're working on a sitcom about a dwarf, starring a guy called Warwick Davis. He's brilliant, he was an ewok in Return Of The Jedi. It's a sitcom about him and it's very funny," Merchant said.

It is not the only project the pair are working on this year, Merchant hinted that Idiot Abroad, starring their friend Karl Pilkington, may be returning.

The comedian said: "Hopefully there'll be more Idiot Abroad at some point, we've just got to persuade Karl to humiliate himself again."

Merchant can currently be heard in Elton John's new movie Gnomeo and Juliet, an animated take on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but with gnomes.

Merchant provides the voice for a gnome called Paris, a rival to Gnomeo for Juliet's affections.

Gnomeo and Juliet is out from February 11.