BBC stars’ anger as pay to be revealed to the nearest £10,000

BBC stars have expressed anger at plans to publish details of their pay packets in £10,000 bands.

The salaries of those earning £150,000 or more were published last year in £50,000 brackets but Culture Secretary Matt Hancock wants the bands narrowed to provide more transparency.

The new list, to be published on Wednesday, will also break down salaries by programme, revealing how much presenters are paid from each show.

The increased transparency has upset some of the corporation’s high earners.

‘This is the latest humiliation,’ one employee told The Sunday Telegraph. ‘We’re resigned to the fact that the BBC has effectively launched a national trolling festival where we all get pummelled over our salaries.

‘Everyone is totally exasperated and fed up – managers and presenters. Transparency will effectively lead to a rate card where they “pay the chair” instead of the presenter.’

Another broadcaster told the newspaper that although they would rather the BBC did not have to take the ‘un-British’ step of revealing its highest earners’ salaries, they were resigned to it.

But one spoke in favour of the change, saying: ‘If you’re earning over £150,000, just shut up about any “humiliation”. Total transparency is key.’

About a third of the names whose salaries were disclosed last year are expected to drop off the list because their shows are now made by BBC Studios, a new commercial entity.

Because of its classification as an independent production firm – meaning its revenue does not come directly from the licence fee – its presenters’ pay does not have to be declared. The 17 actors who are paid more than £150,000 for their roles in EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty are expected to leave the list.

Strictly Come Dancing salaries are also set to become secret, hiding the pay of presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, as well as judges Darcey Bussell, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas. Other presenters paid via BBC Studios include The One Show’s Matt Baker and Alex Jones, Nick Knowles of DIY SOS and Paul Martin of Flog It!.

The fact that so many stars are able to keep their salaries secret through the BBC’s commercial arm prompted one top presenter to refer to this year’s list as ‘the greatest work of fiction since Harry Potter’. They told The Times: ‘It misses off huge pensions and all TV stars’ earnings though the BBC’s commercial studios.’

An agent for another presenter referred to the corporation’s rich list as a ‘farcical cover-up’, adding: ‘It is unfair on those who are named. Some who drop off the list are also angry because it will look like they endorse hiding their salaries.’

The BBC strongly denied yesterday that BBC Studios provided a ‘loophole’ that detracted from transparency on salaries.

A spokesman said: ‘The Government have agreed that BBC Studios is a commercial operation not underpinned by the licence fee so, just like the independent production companies it competes with, it isn’t required to disclose salaries.

‘The BBC leads the way in transparency and this year people will see we’ll go even further in the information we publish.’

‘Everyone is fed up’