BBC fears ‘poachers’ will target its top talent

The BBC has cut the amount it pays its top talent by £8m, Tony Hall, the director-general, said, while warning that identifying high-earning stars risks creating a “poachers’ charter”.

Lord Hall said the broadcaster had reduced pay for talent earning more than £500,000 by 25 per cent, cutting the overall spend by £8 million, or 4 per cent, between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

He told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “We were concerned that if we began to publish names it becomes a poachers’ charter.”