McCall's chatshow features guests and live music

The show attracted half the audience of ITV1's The Bill - which drew 7m viewers - while Channel 4's Relocation, Relocation pipped Davina with 3.7m.

Davina featured McCall interviewing Charlotte Church, Tess Daly, Vernon Kay, and comedian Julian Clary.

A BBC spokeswoman said it was early days for the entertainment show.

Loyal audience

According to the overnight figures, Davina took a 14.6% audience share, compared with 29.7% for The Bill.

But the BBC spokeswoman said Davina attracted the majority share of 25-34-year-old viewers, which BBC One are keen to attract.

"We are really pleased as it was a stable and solid start for Davina. It is a difficult slot, up against ITV1's The Bill, which has a very loyal audience.

"All BBC chat shows, such as Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, have grown and have been allowed to grow, so we have to give Davina the space and time to build."