Maxine: I refused lower pay
MAXINE Peake threatened to quit The Village after finding out co-star John Simm was to be paid more than her.
The actors played husband and wife in the 2013 BBC drama but Maxine discovered a “significant” gender pay gap and refused the part.
The 43-year-old said: “They came back and said I could have the same money.”
It came after she was paid the same as Rupert Penry-Jones in BBC series Silk, despite being the lead actor and having more scenes.
Maxine added: “Their argument was that he will have more to do than you but I was in every single scene while Rupert had twoweek holidays, went abroad and got himself a nice tan.”
The Village was produced by Company Pictures for the BBC, while Silk was produced by the BBC themselves.
Last year, it was revealed two-thirds of the BBC’s highest paid stars were men, and the corporation had a 9.3 per cent gender pay gap.
Maxine, from Lancashire, added: “People still think it’s OK to mimic my accent and make it sound dumb.
“As a working-class woman, people still have perceptions of you.”
She could not say if she was paid less due to her accent. She said: “It depends on your name and how much work you’ve done.”
The BBC declined to comment.