BRITISH BROADCASTING COVER-UP
BBC ‘hiding top stars’ sky-high salaries’ after axing free licences for over-75s
THE BBC was yesterday accused of covering up sky-high payments to its top stars.
It published the official salaries of those on more than £150,000 a year, but critics said the list ignores “secret” payments to stars made through commercial arm BBC Studios.
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Yesterday’s list said Graham Norton got £610,000 for his Radio 2 show. In fact he is on more than £2million in total, with the cash for his chat show paid through a private production firm.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Claudia Winkleman was the second highest earning woman at £370,000 — but she again makes another £120,000 through BBC Studios.
Also missing from the list are the Strictly judges. Each gets more than £150,000, with head judge Shirley Ballas on £250,000.
The One Show hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones, who earn around £500,000 each, were also kept off the list.
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Fiona Bruce was included with a salary of £259,999 — but excluded was the £200,000 extra she gets for Antiques Roadshow.
Dragons’ Den host Evan Davis was listed as earning £279,999 but the £40,000 extra he gets from the BBC2 business show was omitted.
Others undeclared by the BBC include casts of Holby City, Casualty, Doctor Who and EastEnders.
The BBC's top ten highest-paid stars revealed
INFURIATE THE PUBLIC
Top earner on the four shows is thought to be Casualty’s Derek Thompson who gets nearly £400,000.
New Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker is not on the list but predecessor Peter Capaldi got £249,999.
Music show presenter Jools Holland was absent from the list. He is paid £249,999.
Critics say the BBC’s tactics on pay will further infuriate a public angry at its decision to scrap the free licence fee for over-75s.
The BBC saw a drop in TV licence sales for the first time in a decade - battered by competition from Netflix and Amazon.
Harry Fone, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “After announcing that many pensioners will now be forced to pay the dreaded TV tax, you’d think the BBC would have shown more respect to taxpayers by cutting back on spending.
“How can it justify so many sky high salaries when whacking up charges on older people?
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THE BBC'S RICH LIST
“We’ve been pushing for a long time for greater transparency on pay. The BBC shouldn’t keep information on salaries for the richest stars hidden from taxpayers.”
The BBC said: “BBC Studios operates on a commercial footing where it competes for business with other broadcasters and isn’t underpinned by the licence fee.
“The Government agreed it should be a level playing field with independent companies who are not required to disclose pay.”
BBC chairman David Clementi also said critics who say it could afford to carry on funding free licences for all over-75s if it cut back on star’ salaries were wrong.
He said even putting a £150,000 ceiling on stars’ salaries would only save £20million — and it cost £745million to keep free licences for all over-75s. Mr Clementi insisted: “The sums don’t add up.”
The BBC’s rich list, published yesterday as part of its Annual Report, showed just five of its top 20 highest-paid stars are women despite its apparent efforts to tackle a gender pay gap.
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RISING WAGE BILL
Three women — Claudia Winkleman, Zoe Ball and Vanessa Feltz — are now in the top ten earners. Last year the top 12 earners were all men.
However, only two more women — Desert Island Discs host Lauren Laverne and sports presenter Gabby Logan — made the top 20.
Improvement in female placings came after the BBC cut the wages of some male stars and gave pay rises to women.
It meant the total bill for “star talent” rose by £2million, from £19.7million to £21.7million.
The number of on-air stars earning more than £150,000 rose from 64 last year to 75.
The number of executives breaking the £150,000 barrier rose from 92 to 106.
PM Theresa May was among those who questioned the rising wage bill.
Her spokesman said: “The BBC needs to explain why they increased on-air pay and total staff costs while saying they can’t fund free TV licences for over-75s. Taxpayers expect the BBC to use its substantial licence fee income in an appropriate way, which includes showing restraint on salaries for senior staff.”
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The BBC’s top earner remains Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who refused a pay cut. He got £1.75million.
Jeremy Vine took a £146,000 pay cut while Steve Wright and John Humphrys accepted £100,000 less.
Yesterday’s report also showed cases of bullying and harassment at the BBC rose in the past year.
There were 86 cases, up from 51. In total 24 bullying or harassment claims are continuing.
THE SUN SAYS: BBC BOTTLERS
THE BBC should hang its head in shame.
And shame is plainly what bosses feel at the staggering pay rises they have lavished on millionaire stars while stripping OAPs of their free TV licence.
That’s why the most shocking salaries are squirrelled out of sight via a commercial arm whose payroll remains secret.
The BBC even took the coward’s route to closing its gender pay gap: handing colossal hikes to already fabulously paid women instead of slashing the wages of all their overpaid men.
So Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley bafflingly gets a £100,000 rise (about 666 old folk will fund that alone). But grasping Gary Lineker keeps his £1,750,000 salary for reading the Match of the Day autocue.
Don’t worry, though, Gary . . . 11,000 over-75s can always cut down on their food and heat to keep Twitter’s favourite social justice warrior in clover.
The BBC is now indefensible. If it cannot survive on a £4billion-a-year bung without fleecing OAPs it is far too big.
It needs total reform. Whole sections should shut, including its website.
If the BBC wants to pay its favoured luvvies commercial salaries, let them be a fully commercial operation funded by voluntary subscription like Netflix. Non-payment of the licence must be decriminalised, prior to abolishing the fee.
It has had its time . . . last century.
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The BBC's top ten highest-paid stars revealed
It's match of the pay
By Andy Halls, TV Editor
MATCH of the Day has become one of the BBC’s most expensive shows after bumper pay rises for its stars.
Host Gary Lineker, 58, remained the Beeb’s best-paid star, earning £1.75million for his football work alone.
He received no pay rise on his previous salary but was the most high-profile name to refuse a cut.
Former Newcastle and England striker and Sun columnist Alan Shearer, 48, was paid £30,000 more than last year, taking his pay packet to £440,000 a year.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright, 55, and former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, 36, also entered the pay disclosures for the first time.
They previously did not break the £150,000 threshold but now have been revealed to earn £205,000 and £210,000, respectively.
The show also has several stand-in hosts. Jason Mohammad, 43, got £355,000 — up by £90,000 on last year.
Mark Chapman, who presents Match of the Day 2, was paid £230,000, an increase of £19,000 on his 2018 salary.
Dan Walker, 42, got £280,000 and Gabby Logan, 46, earned £290,000 — both £50,000 increases on last year.
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