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It's not very often Neil Gaiman will offer to write something directly for television. It's not really his canvas.

But when Steven Moffat, the new showrunner for "Doctor Who," came knocking, Gaiman apparently answered the door.

The graphic novelist told SFX Weekender that he is writing an episode for "Doctor Who." The only drawback is, it won't be in the upcoming season, but instead in the second season starring new Doctor Matt Smith.

"As anyone who's read my blog knows, I'm a big fan of a certain long-running British SF TV series," Gaiman told the publication. "One that [I] started watching -- from behind the sofa -- when I was three. And while I know it's cruel to make you wait for things, in about 14 months from now -- which is to say not the upcoming season, but early in the one after that -- it's quite possible that I might have written an episode. And if I had, it would originally have been called, 'The House of Nothing,' but it definitely isn't called that any more."

This would be Gaiman's first outing for television in 13 years when it airs. According to Internet Movie Database, Gaiman only wrote a television episode one other time, "Day of the Dead" for "Babylon 5" in 1998.

Gaiman has been rumored to be a working on a script for "Doctor Who" for some time, and while his confirmation of it isn't a total surprise, the fact that he's doing it more than a year ahead of time is.

Gaiman is known for his award-winning works that include "Coraline," "The Sandman" and "Stardust." He also was the writer behind the British series "Neverwhere" in 1996.

"Doctor Who" returns this spring to BBC and BBC America. The second season starring Smith, who replaced David Tennant at the top during the New Year's Eve special, will likely begin in early 2011.

Thanks to Grace Bellerby for the tip!