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Sheepish mode for Rivers

She has signed up as Shirley the Sheep, wife of Wiley the Sheep, voiced by comic legend Mel Brooks.

The comedienne, who recently sparked controversy by calling a commentator on a Radio 4 show a "son of a bitch" in a racism row, has been cast in the new episodes of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks.

The Emmy Award-winning series is set in 1950s rural Ireland and has been screened in 54 countries.

Aimed at children between the ages of four and seven, it celebrates the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

The show, which is about to air on BBC2 shortly, follows the adventures of a young pig and his friends Dannan the Duck and Ferny the Bull.

Daniel Isman, chief executive of the London-based childrens' entertainment company which is behind the cartoon, Entara, said: "We are thrilled that Joan Rivers is joining the Jakers! team in this new role.

"The series is about building inter-generational relationships through storytelling and who better to relate this story than two showbiz veterans, Joan Rivers and Mel Brooks?

"We are certain that the combination of their trademark sense of humour will delight audiences young and old."