Michael Parkinson has claimed that he was dropped by ITV because he was too expensive, a claim which he strongly denies.

Parkinson told the Radio Times: “Michael Grade told me with a straight face that I was too expensive. Shortly after, we were talking about guests for the final show and someone at ITV mentioned Liz Taylor. They said they would go up to £250,000. Barmy idea - and I was too expensive?

“But I don’t want it to seem as though we left in an acrimonious fashion, because we didn’t.

“I would have liked one more series, to be frank, but my time had come to leave. I knew that.”