Writer Neil Gaiman has delighted fans by hinting that he will soon appear as the first ever voice of cat Snowball II on The Simpsons.

Usually known for his work behind the camera, he told followers via Twitter that he will feature in this year’s Halloween special of the hit US cartoon, and challenged them to guess which character he will play.

He started by offering the cryptic clue: “I am on the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror this year. I do not play myself this time. Instead I voice a character who has not spoken before.”

While some incorrectly assumed it would be baby Maggie, he retweeted one follower who suggested “Snowball II” and congratulated them with: “You guessed”.

Revealing more about the upcoming special, which traditionally parodies classic horror stories, he shared a picture of Lisa Simpson and her cat crawling through a tunnel leading from a door.

Most guessed the episode will be a take on Henry Selick’s 2009 cult animation Coraline and shared their approval of the choice.

“That is awesome!” wrote Louise Scollay, while Samantha Bosch simply replied: “YES!!!!!”

Another follower said: “OMG, that would be perfect!” and another added: “oh my god. oh my god. oh my god. I can’t wait!!”

The idea does not come as a surprise to many, as the film is inspired by Gaiman’s 2002 novella about the young girl who stumbles across a mysterious parallel world when she moves to a new home.

The American Gods creator also made headlines this week as filming began on the TV adaptation of Good Omens, which he co-wrote with the late Terry Pratchett.