Rock to avoid swearing at Oscar ceremony

Oscar host Chris Rock said he will steer clear of bad language when he fronts the awards on February 27.

The comedian is renowned for his heavy use of expletives during his stand-up routine.

The live ceremony will be broadcast with a transmission delay on US network ABC to ensure swear words are removed.

The 40-year-old caused a furore when he said in an interview recently that he hardly ever watched the Oscars and labelled awards ceremonies "idiotic".

The show's producers defended him and confirmed that he would still be presenting the Oscar ceremony, saying his comments were "humorous digs".