Davina was "worst value in history"

Davina McCall’s £280,000 pay packet for eight chat shows has been labeled “the worst value for money in telly history.”

The host was paid the equivalent of £580 per minute of air time for Davina, the Daily Mirror has revealed. The series, regarded as a flop, finished last week with 2.2 million viewers.

A source confirmed that McCall’s salary had meant her show had been a costly failure. He commented: “With that pay packet, the Davina show has to be the worst value for money in telly history.”

Despite its problems, a BBC spokeswoman said no decision had been made on whether the series will be recommissioned.