Beeb’s male stars face pay cuts

“OVERPAID” male BBC stars could see their wages cut as part of the drive to close the corporation’s gender pay gap, director general Tony Hall has said.

Giving evidence to the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Lord Hall said he was determined to move towards a more equal pay structure at the BBC – although he resisted calls from MPs to disclose what top stars earn.

He said: “Where we think someone is underpaid, we will correct that. But also, if we think somebody is overpaid, then we need to correct that too.”

More than 40 high profile women – including Clare Balding, Sue Barker and Emily Maitlis – signed a letter calling for urgent action to address the problem.