Highest-paid stars fail to shine on list of BBC greats

WHEN it came to their BBC wages, they came out on top.

But it seems the bumper pay packets of the likes of Graham Norton, Chris Evans and Jeremy Vine do not necessarily translate into acclaim from their colleagues.

The BBC’S highest-paid presenters failed to make the top 10 in a list of alltime radio greats, voted for by broadcasters and industry experts.

Chris Evans came in at 26, Jeremy Vine at 41, Steve Wright at 36, Graham Norton at 39, and John Humphrys at 13.

Instead, the top 10 included Jane Garvey and Dame Jenni Murray, the Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenters who campaigned for equal pay at the BBC.

Figures revealed earlier this year showed that Evans was the best-paid BBC star, earning between £2.2million and £2.25 million in 2016-17. Norton came in third, earning in the £800,000 to £850,000 bracket, while Vine came in fourth, earning £700,000 to £750,000. Murray and Garvey did not appear on the list at all, meaning their salaries were less than £150,000.

Garvey later coordinated a letter cosigned by more than 40 women protesting at the BBC’S gender pay gap.

Radio Times, celebrating 50 years since the launch of Radio 1 and the creation of Radios 2, 3 and 4, asked leading industry figures to name the top broadcasters from the last half-century.

The top 20: 1. Terry Wogan; 2. John Peel; 3. Sue Macgregor; 4. Annie Nightingale; 5. Alistair Cooke; 6. Kenny Everett; 7. Jane Garvey; 8. Humphrey Lyttelton; 9. Eddie Mair; 10. Jenni Murray; 11. Brian Redhead; 12. Kirsty Young;

13. John Humphrys; 14. Melvyn Bragg;

15. Danny Baker; 16. James Naughtie; 17. Fi Glover; 18. Linda Smith; 19. Nick Clarke; 20. Tony Blackburn.