Curb Your Enthusiasm to return to HBO for ninth season

David appears as a retired television writer and producer in the show

Curb Your Enthusiasm will return for a ninth season, US network HBO has announced.

The comedy series, which stars Larry David as an exaggerated version of himself, last aired an original episode in 2011.

Speaking about the show's five-year absence, David joked: "In the immortal words of Julius Caesar, 'I left, I did nothing, I returned'."

An official return date for the new series has not yet been confirmed.

The commissioning of a new series is the first major programming decision by Casey Bloys, who took over as president of programming at HBO last month.

In a statement, he said: "We're thrilled that Larry has decided to do a new season of Curb and can't wait to see what he has planned."

The show, which premiered in 2000 and stars David in a fictionalised version of his own life, is HBO's longest-running scripted comedy series.

The actor, who also co-created comedy series Seinfeld, has maintained a high profile in the US since Curb Your Enthusiasm was last broadcast, parodying Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live and recently appearing on NBC variety show Maya and Marty.