The Hoff axed from Britain’s Got Talent

The blame for the poor ratings of Britain's Got Talent appears to have fallen squarely on the shoulders of David Hasselhoff.

The Sun is reporting an insider revealing that producers feel the man known as The Hoff failed to live up to expectations.

This year's new judging team, the Hoff, comic Michael McIntyre and show veteran Amanda Holden, experienced a half a million drop in viewers from the year before.

The insider said: "David was a great booking at the time. We thought he'd bring loads of laughs and warmth but it didn't work out."

And his inability to understand the accents of many contestants also did not worked in his favour.

"He was fun but had no connection with the acts," the source said. "The panel lacked sparkle and it was reflected in the acts that went through."

The source also said ITV could be seeking a entirely new panel of judges for the next sries after funnyman McIntyre was deemed 'too nice' after replacing the razor-sharp Piers Morgan.

But a spokeswoman for the show said: "It is too early to confirm the panel for the next series of Britain's Got Talent."

ITV is currently said to be busy with ITV1's The X Factor.