Bowie will follow in the footsteps of Hollywood stars such as Ben Stiller

Sir Ian McKellen, Daniel Radcliffe and Germaine Greer have also landed cameo roles in the BBC Two show.

The series is based around extra Andy Millman, played by Gervais, an actor desperate to break into the big time.

Kate Winslet was among the guest stars in the first series, written by Gervais and comedy partner Stephen Merchant.

Award-winning

Diana Rigg, Moira Stuart, Richard Briers, Ronnie Corbett and Stephen Fry are also included in the line-up for the sitcom's second series, which is due to air later this year.

A BBC spokeswoman said filming began earlier this week and plotlines had not yet been confirmed.

The first series picked up two prizes at the prestigious Rose d'Or TV awards in April, winning best sitcom and best sitcom actress for Ashley Jensen, who plays Gervais' sidekick Maggie.

But the show missed out on two Bafta awards, losing out to Armando Iannucci's political satire, The Thick Of It.