Bonham Carter joins Gervais show

Oscar-nominated star Helena Bonham Carter is to be among the guests in Ricky Gervais’s new BBC sitcom.

The actress, who was up for the best supporting actress prize for her role in The King’s Speech, has been added to the line-up for the funnyman’s BBC2 series Life’s Too Short.

Also newly cast in the programme about a dwarf, played by Warwick Davis, is Liam Neeson.

Mr Gervais has also persuaded leading names such as Johnny Depp, Steve Carrell and Sting to appear in the show, which is written and directed by Mr Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

Life’s Too Short is a fake documentary following the daily life of an actor, played by Davis, who runs a talent agency for fellow dwarves but nabs the best jobs for himself.

Mr Gervais has said of the seven-part show, which launches on BBC2 in October: “If Warwick Davis isn’t the comedy sensation of next year, I’ll eat Johnny Depp’s hat.”