Lil Wayne will not play Jesus Christ in a new animated show - TV bosses insist his character simply shares his name with the Son of God.

It was recently announced the star would lend his voice to Return of Freaknik, a one-hour special being produced for the Adult Swim network by fellow rapper T-Pain.

Earlier reports suggested Wayne would play Jesus Christ, but TV bosses insist his character is an up-and-coming rapper called Jesus.

A spokesperson for the network explains, "Lil Wayne’s character is still evolving. All we can say is that he is named Jesus and not Jesus Christ."