Christopher Reeve to guest on Smallville.

Superman star Christopher Reeve is to appear in an episode of the hit US series Smallville next month, giving advice to a young Clark Kent.

Reeve first played the mild-mannered reporter with superhero powers in the 1978 film. Three sequels followed.

Smallville features Tom Welling as a teenage Clark Kent, coming to terms with his unusual powers and strength.

As part of the deal, the WB Network will run a public service announcement at the end of the episode for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which campaigns for medical research into the condition. Reeve was paralysed from the neck down in a 1995 horse-riding accident.

It is expected that Reeve's Smallville episode will air during the "sweeps" ratings period in February - when the US television audience is measured to determine future advertising rates.