BBC1 controller Peter Fincham has ordered a stand-up and sketch show series from award-winning comedian Omid Djalili.
The Omid Djalili Show will take what the BBC is billing as "a uniquely adult look at contemporary issues from identity and multiculturalism to death, sex and religion".
Djalili's programme is the first of six comedy pilots, ordered by Mr Fincham and Lucy Lumsden, the BBC controller of comedy commissioning, to get the green light as a series.
The British-Iranian comedian, who has appeared in films including Gladiator, The Mummy and Casanova, said he wanted to "invoke the spirit of Dave Allen" in his BBC1 show.
"All I've ever wanted to do is to bring world peace through stand-up comedy ... and now that I've done that, I can concentrate on my new BBC1 comedy series," he added.
The Omid Djalili Show will be executive produced by the BBC creative head of comedy talent, Kenton Allen, and produced by Alex Walsh-Taylor.
BBC1 is expected to broadcast the show in the autumn.
· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 7239 9857
· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
