When Neil Patrick Harris was announced as the host of The Oscars, he was seen gleefully ticking it off his bucket list.

However it now appears that the reality of the scale of the job facing him next February has hit home - and the How I Met Your Mother star has been doing some serious thinking about how he's going to tackle it.

Speaking to E! News, NPH was remarkably open about the task ahead.

"I'm trying to watch a bunch of past Oscar shows in sequence so I can see sort of how technology has changed, the set, the room," he told E!.

"Keep in mind, award shows are a room filled with terribly nervous people who have been through a gauntlet of anticipation, including the red carpet, where they're constantly asked what they'll say if they win...

"And then most of the show, it's all filled with losers. Because out of the five nominees, only one wins. So as the show goes on, more and more of the people are unhappy.

"So that's kind of the game, is to try and figure out how to be fun and casual and confident and keep it moving and keep it a good show, regardless of whether you win or lose, that you're at least enjoying yourself for the evening."

Last year's host Ellen DeGeneres had reportedly turned down the opportunity to do it again.