Jimmy Fallon to host next year's Golden Globes

The host of the most popular late night show on US television is going to take on hosting duties for Golden Globes 2017.

The Tonight Show star Jimmy Fallon announced on twitter last night that he was taking over the position from The Office star Ricky Gervais and joked that he was "looking forward to spending time with the Hollywood Foreign Press before Donald Trump has them all deported".

The chairman of NBC Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt, said: "This is the most spontaneous and uninhibited award show on television, and Jimmy's playful, disarming comedic brilliance makes him the ideal host to enhance and elevate the sense of fun and irreverence."

Fallon is not the first comedian to take on the position with Ricky Gervais, Tiny Fey, and Amy Poehler all filling the role in the past.

The 2017 Golden Globes will air January 8 in the USA on NBC