Comedian Russell Brand is to host the MTV Video Music Awards in America for a second year running, it's been reported.

Brand is believed to have impressed the US broadcaster, despite causing controversy at last year's ceremony.

According to the Sun newspaper, the comedian and actor's participation will be confirmed later today.

It will mark the first time in the event's history that the same person has hosted the event in consecutive years.

Brand's performance at the 2008 Video Music Awards was met with a mixture of praise and criticism.

During one piece of dialogue, the comedian joked that people who didn't vote for Barack Obama to become president were “racists” and called the then president George W Bush a “retard”.

Brand has since gone on the carve a name for himself in Hollywood, appearing in 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

He is also set to star in a forthcoming re-working of The Tempest.