‘Keep pay of stars secret’ says new chairman

THE new man holding the BBC to account insists it should be allowed to use a loophole to keep some star salaries secret.

In his first speech as BBC chairman, Sir David Clementi argued it should not have to reveal details for those paid via its BBC Studios production arm or independent TV firms. He claimed keeping the salaries of stars on shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who under wraps would create a ‘level playing field’ with rivals.

It was ‘an important point of principle’, he told the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge yesterday.

When the BBC revealed pay details of top staff in June, it left out stars like David Dimbleby and Mary Berry because they were paid through third-party firms.

Next year bosses plan to hide the pay of even more because BBC Studios has been made a commercial company. But pressure is building, including a speech today by Culture Secretary Karen Bradley insisting that the BBC must be transparent.