James Corden is reportedly being lined up as a successor for Ellen DeGeneres amid her talkshow's uncertain future.

Having been on the air for 17 years, The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been rocked by a number of allegations about its workplace culture in recent months - and in shocking developments last week, a number of former employees came forward to allege sexual misconduct by several executive producers.

The show is now subject to an internal investigation by Warner Bros and there is growing speculation that DeGeneres, 62, may jump before the show is pulled.

According to The Sun, Corden - host of The Late, Late Show on CBS - is being eyed by NBC Entertainment chief Paul Telegdy to launch a new show in place of DeGeneres's.

"This issue has fast tracked everything and made everyone look at the future today," a source told the newspaper.

"James Corden was being eyed for Ellen's job in the long term before any of this came to light. Now this shocking new development places a spotlight on the next step.

"Currently his CBS deal is only contracted until 2022 after he turned down a five-year deal. Paul is a huge fan of what James does on screen. He already has a huge devoted audience, global appeal and is loved by Hollywood.

"Replacing Ellen was always going to be a tough challenge, but he is a natural fit and easy transition. James would freshen up daytime and with a free hand would be allowed to build a new afternoon era."

Corden, 41, has been host of the CBS series since 2015 and is also the co-creator of the huge BBC hit Gavin & Stacey.