Russell Brand offers one-on-one Skype calls to fans with new iPhone app

Fans of the comedian will play 'interactive challenges' for rewards

The comedian's new iPhone app will allow fans to get closer to him (Getty Images)

Russell Brand has launched his own iPhone app, offering one-on-one Skype chats with fans.

The free programme makes it easy for users to "keep up to speed with the actor and comedian" with news, videos, photos and updates from Brand's active social media profiles.

But the "interactive challenges" that fans can play to build up points for autographs, merchandise and live conversations have stirred the most excitement.

To win a copy of Brand's Scandalous live show, 15,000 points must be earned, with 40,000 securing an autographed Rolling Stone magazine. The most dedicated fans will be rewarded with a 10-minute Skype call from the comedian, but they must notch up a massive 500,000 points first.

Unsurprisingly given his controversial reputation, Brand's app, which also works on iPad, comes with a 12+ rating for "crude humour", "mild profanity" and "infrequent sexual content or nudity".

The comedian hit headlines recently after he discouraged people from voting during a Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman, resulting in a public spat with Peep Show’s Robert Webb.

Not content with shaking up the political world, Brand has joined actors Jamie Foxx and Charlie Sheen to release the official app in partnership with tech start-up TopFan. An Android version of the self-titled Russell Brand is expected to follow.

Celebrity apps have often been branded as ego-boosting vanity projects, but past successes have proved they can be lucrative too. US rapper Trey Songz made $50,000 dollars from his app in May this year, while Snoop Dogg's Snoopify sold $30,000 worth of virtual stickers through an in-app shop in a week.