Tommy Cannon is joining \'Emmerdale\'.
The 81-year-old comedian - known for being one half of double act Cannon and Ball alongside Bobby Ball - has signed up to appear in the ITV soap for a "brief stint", and he can\'t wait to head to the Dales.
He wrote on Twitter: "Excited to be able to announce that I\'m doing a brief stint as \'Derek\' in
@emmerdale !! Spending some time in the dales (sic)"
Tommy\'s long-term sidekick Bobby is also excited about seeing his good pal on \'Emmerdale\'.
He tweeted: "Can\'t wait to see tommy in Emmerdale.... I am so chuffed for him..... (sic)"
Karen Blick - who plays Lydia Hart on the show - wrote: "Brilliant news x"
Dean Andrews (Will Taylor) added: "Welcome Tommy"
Paddy McGuinness - who made a guest appearance in \'Coronation Street\' in 2015 - tweeted: "Congrats pal."
The comedy pair are well known for their popular variety programme \'The Cannon and Ball Show\', which aired from July 1979 to December 1988.
Tommy will play a new character on the soap, but he isn\'t the only big-name star to have joined the show for a brief period.
Legendary England cricketer Ian Botham headed to the Dales in 1995 to open the then-newly refurbished Woolpack pub.
Rugby player Martin Offiah was a guest at a charity rugby match in 1996, and Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow was a guest at Kathy Glover\'s (Malandra Burrows) leaving party in 2001.
What\'s more, TV presenter Fern Britton appeared in the show in 2005, and singers Tony Christie and Katherine Jenkins have also made cameos.
Former footballer-turned-pundit Chris Kamara played himself in a brief Dales cameo in June.
