BBC women: ‘We still don’t have equal pay’

Female broadcasters say they do not believe the issue of pay inequality at the BBC is a thing of the past following the publication of the broadcaster’s latest top-earners list, which features just five women in the top 20.

While three women, Zoe Ball, Vanessa Feltz and Claudia Winkleman, made the BBC’S top ten for the first time, it is male stars overwhelmingly who continue to pocket the highest salaries.

Female broadcasters said they do not believe “that BBC pay inequality is in the past” as the broadcaster unveiled a list of 20 top-earning stars featuring five women.

The broadcaster has revealed its best-paid stars with women – Zoe Ball, Vanessa Feltz and Claudia Winkleman – making the top ten for the first time.

But Gary Lineker still tops the list and, unlike many male stars, the Match Of The Day presenter has not taken a pay cut, still pocketing around £1.75 million.

Former Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans is second, with around £1.25 million, the figure he received before he quit his Breakfast Show in December.

Graham Norton completes an all-male trio at the top, receiving around £610,000 for payments for his Radio 2 show and “a range of programmes and series”, not including his chat show.

BBC chief Lord Hall said the broadcaster had “turned the corner on gender pay”.

But in a statement posted by Today programme presenter Mishal Husain, the group BBC Women suggested it was too early to celebrate.

“There has been some progress in the last two years, but many women at all levels of the BBC are locked into slow, inefficient and demoralising internal processes,” they said.

“New equal pay cases are still emerging and staff are yet to have confidence that pay inequality is in the past.”

Lord Hall said that “in 201920 we expect 45 per cent of our highest earners to be women, and 55 per cent to be men. Three years ago just 25 per cent were women”.

He said: “This is significant change. The task is not complete, we are not complacent, but we are well on our way.”

And he said of Lineker: “Every time contracts come up we look at them, we negotiate hard with people but Gary does do an excellent job.”

Many men, such as Today presenter John Humphrys (a fall of £110,000), Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine (a drop of around £150,000) and Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw (by around £90,000), have taken pay cuts.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the BBC needs to explain why staffing costs are increasing despite the corporation saying it cannot afford to fund TV licences for the over-75s.

In response, a BBC spokeswoman said: “It’s well known that the BBC pays less than people can earn at commercial broadcasters.

“The National Audit Office report said this recently. And when we ask audiences, four out of five people tell us they want the biggest and best names on the BBC.”