Chris Hardwick Developing Nerdist TV Show for BBC America, Hosting 'Ministry of Laughs'

Those familiar with nerd culture know who Chris Hardwick is. He's the guy who hosts "Web Soup" and makes appearances on "Attack of the Show" on the G4 channel, he's one half of the musical comedy group Hard n' Phirm, and he's the guy who has the top-rated comedy podcast on iTunes, "The Nerdist Podcast."

Those not familiar with nerd culture know who Hardwick is, too. When they find out he was the co-host with Jenny McCarthy and, later, Carmen Electra on MTV's "Singled Out" in the 1990's, they go "Ohhhhh, that guy. Yeah."

But if you don't know about him yet, you will soon: Hardwick has landed a big deal with BBC America to host  "Ministry of Laughs," a two-hour block of comedy, and will also develop his own show based on his podcast for the channel.

The Nerdist Podcast works in roughly the same format as does Ricky Gervais' podcast: that is, Hardwick and his funny, nerdy friends Matt Mira and Jonah Ray sit down and have a conversation (with or without a celebrity guest) that can cover everything from "Doctor Who" to burritos to Darth Vader's nether regions.

As such, the format would lend itself well to something similar to "The Ricky Gervais Show," with animated illustrations of topics of conversation. However, those details have not yet surfaced.

Hardwick should fit right in at BBC America, especially considering his "devotion to 'Doctor Who' and his unapologetic anglophile leanings," as BBC America exec Perry Simon put it. Read more about the new developments on the Nerdist website...dig around for a while, and you might see some writings from yours truly as well.