Prime slot for 'TV natural' Victoria

Victoria Beckham is to front her own primetime interview series on ITV1.

With doubts hanging over her singing career, she has been handed a new challenge by executives who were hailing her last night as 'a TV natural'.

She is understood to have been offered £30,000 per episode to present the show, in which she will meet and interview members of the public. It is expected there will be around six episodes, so she could net up to £200,000.

The format is still being worked out but the show is pencilled in for the autumn, after the former Spice Girl has given birth to her second child.

Victoria, 27, impressed ITV executives during the filming of last night's documentary Being Victoria Beckham, and with her previous attempt at presenting, a Channel 4 show called Victoria's Secrets two years ago which included interviews with footballerturned-actor Vinnie Jones, Michael Parkinson and her husband David.

She is also due to take part in a star-studded An Audience With Victoria Beckham for Granada.

There had been criticism that her performance in last night's documentary was a contrived attempt to play Mrs Average.

She was filmed wiping a table with a dampened cloth after a quiet meal with her husband, but the soccer star intervened, mocking the idea that cleaning up was her normal routine. TV chiefs appeared unmoved by the criticism however.

Granada deputy entertainment controller Bob Massie said: ' Victoria's star quality shone through in the documentary and in her earlier TV show. She's witty and cheeky but underneath it all she's very down to earth. She says what she thinks and tells it like it is.

"We're sure she has what it takes to be a successful television presenter. It will involve her interviewing 'real' people rather than stars.

"We really think Victoria could prove a huge hit as a TV host and from the talks we've had with her people she's really keen."

Speculation persists that Victoria's record company, Virgin, is unhappy with the performance of her last single A Mind Of Its Own.

Some of the other Spice Girls have tried TV presenting, with limited success. Mel B recently fronted the Saturday night talent show This Is My Moment for ITV but it fared badly in the ratings.

Footballer Ian Wright, signed by the BBC for £1million, demonstrated last weekend that a big name is no guarantee of success. His one-off interview show Wright Here, Wright Now flopped badly.

It was trounced by the World War II action film 633 Squadron on BBC2 and by ITV's Stars in their Eyes.

Wright Here, Wright Now pulled in just 2.5million viewers. Two and a half times as many - 6.2million - watched Stars in Their Eyes.

By coincidence Victoria Beckham was a guest on Wright Here, Wright Now, which is now unlikely to be made into a full series.

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