Mariah Carey has asked for a cameo appearance in Ricky Gervais's new sitcom, Extras.

The singer is said to have "laughed herself hoarse at The Office," resulting in her decision to ask BBC producers if she could work with Gervais.

A source told The Mirror, "We thought it was a wind-up when we got a call and were told Mariah wanted to speak to us. We were filming that day, but plan to hook up with her later in the series if she is in town."

Samuel L Jackson, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Ross Kemp, Vinnie Jones and Les Dennis have already signed up to play "twisted versions" of themselves in the series, which launches in the summer.