[James]

HOFF THE SCALE

Star in mega BB deal

BAYWATCH megastar David Hasselhoff is demanding a record pay packet to take part in Celebrity Big Brother.

Producers have promised to “break the bank” to lure the biggest names in showbiz.

But “The Hoff” is demanding more money than any contestant has ever received for the Channel 4 series.

Comic Michael Barrymore and ex-basketball star Dennis Rodman each received about £200,000 to enter Britain’s most watched house.

But sources at production company Endemol say it could cost up to £500,000 to get The Hoff into the house for its four-week stint in January.

An insider confirmed: “David has had talks but is playing hardball and says he wants more money than anyone else has received.”

Hasselhoff, 54, is the most-watched television star in the world, according to the Guinness Book Of Records.

He is best known for his roles as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch and Michael Knight in Knight Rider. Endemol bosses are already in a cash tug-ofwar with ITV’s I’m A Celebrity over Liza Minnelli’s estranged husband David Gest, 53.

They are rumoured to have offered the freaky music producer a whopping £300,000 if he signs with Big Brother instead of going into the jungle.

Other names being chased include madcap comic Freddie Starr, 63, and disgraced Tory peer Jeffrey Archer, 61.

They also hope to sign up shamed Liberal Democrat wannabe leader Mark Oaten, 37, who was outed by a gay rent boy.

The producers are desperate for a political figure to “embarrass him or herself” again after viewers were glued to George Galloway’s antics – including pretending to be a cat – earlier this year.

An insider added: “The line-up for the show promises to be a real treat. We are talking about some really big names.”

Daily Star Sunday