Today star off air as she fights £500k BBC pay gap

THERE’S radio silence from Today presenter Sarah Montague as she battles to persuade BBC bosses to close the ‘unfair’ pay gap between her and her male colleagues.

I can reveal Montague, 51, has taken almost a month’s leave after discovering in the summer that she earns up to £500,000 less than fellow presenter John Humphrys.

Montague has reportedly received a 25 per cent pay rise, but is also claiming ‘back pay’ to compensate for her historic lower earnings.

The Today host was appalled to learn that Humphrys earns up to £650,000, while she earned less than £150,000, despite fronting the flagship Radio 4 show for 17 years.

Montague told the Radio Times in October: ‘I didn’t know how unfair it was. Also, I didn’t realise how professionally damaging it was. We sit in that studio and challenge people over being unfair, so the BBC, of all places, should be fair.’

As she battles to reach an agreement, Lady Montague, who is married to Sir Christopher Brooke, has not been on air on Today since November 30. Her presenting slots have been filled by stand- in hosts. The BBC says Montague’s absence has been ‘ planned for some time’. But an insider tells me Montague has gone on leave ‘under a cloud’.

The source says: ‘Normally, when someone leaves after such a long time on the show, it is noted on-air with tributes, such as John Major’s for James Naughtie. But it seems Sarah won’t have this.’

Montague is set to swap jobs with the BBC’s World At One presenter Martha Kearney because she finds the 3.30am starts on Today tiring.

The job swap would also help resolve Montague’s salary grievances, as Kearney earns between £200,000 and £249,999.

No official start dates have been announced for their new roles. It is thought they can’t be finalised until Montague’s pay dispute has been resolved. The BBC was forced to offer ‘top-up’ payments to some of its prominent female presenters, including Montague, after the gender pay row in the summer. In October, I revealed the BBC is ‘too scared’ to cut its star male presenters’ pay, so it is closing the Today show’s pay gap by giving huge rises to Mishal Husain and Montague. The BBC says Montague will return to Today on December 27, but declined to comment on her pay dispute. A spokesman says: ‘We don’t discuss such things and don’t have anything further to add.’