BBC in21 Wimbo smash & grab

BEST SEATS DISHED OUT TO TOP EXECS

BBC staff enjoyed some of the best seats at Wimbledon this year as the broadcaster dished out more than 400 tickets worth £51,000.

Household TV names, Beeb executives on six-figure salaries plus their pals got seats for this year’s tennis showpiece that ordinary people could only dream of getting their hands on.

The public can only land

Wimbledon tickets by either getting lucky in a hugely oversubscribed ballot, queuing up overnight or paying for a pricey hospitality package.

But as the tournament’s

“official broadcaster”, the BBC gets a wedge of tickets, which it dishes out to business contacts as well as selected staff.

Among those handed freebies were reporters, news executives,

MPs, members of the House of

Lords, sports company bigwigs and stars including comic Lee Mack.

BBC officials said it handed out

239 tickets with a face value of £32,890 as part of its business dealings.

The details were revealed in a Freedom of Information Act response. Leigh Tavaziva, the

£400,000 BBC Chief Operating sunday@dailystar.co.uk

Officer, had prized Centre Court seats to see stars Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray. Labour’s Lord Bassam, who was caught up in an expenses scandal five years ago, was among Parliamentarians given tickets.

Joe Ventre, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “BBC bosses do very well out of these Corporation comps.”

But a BBC spokesman said: “These tickets are provided to the BBC as part of the rights contract we have with Wimbledon and there is no cost to the licence fee payer. “Parliamentarians are invited as part of a broader visit to see broadcasting facilities and discuss media issues.”