Lineker is the top earner at BBC
Ex-footballer replaces Chris Evans at top
PAY: Former footballer Gary Lineker heads the latest list of top BBC earners – with the corporation’s highest-paid stars all men.
The Match Of The Day host is the biggest earner, taking home a sum between £1.75m and £1,759,999. He replaces Chris Evans at the top.
GARY LINEKER heads the latest list of top BBC earners – with the corporation’s highest-paid stars all men.
The Match Of The Day host is the biggest earner, taking home between £1.75m and £1,759,999.
He replaces Chris Evans at the top, who is shown to be earning between £1.6m and £1,669,999 for his Radio 2 Breakfast show.
Last year’s accounts showed the Radio 2 Breakfast DJ took home up to £2,249,999 in the 12 months to April 2017 and his salary has been reduced since stepping down from Top Gear.
The top 10 published this year is made up of men, with Lineker and Evans followed by Radio 2 presenter Graham Norton, on up to £609,999 – not including payments for his TV chat show.
The other big earners are broadcasters Steve Wright, Huw Edwards, Jeremy Vine, Alan Shearer, Nicky Campbell, Nick Grimshaw and Stephen Nolan.
The BBC argues that the list does not reflect the true balance of payments to men and women as salaries through BBC Studios, which is not funded by the licence fee and became a commercial entity, are not revealed.
If included, they would feature payments to Claudia Winkleman for Strictly Come Dancing, Alex Jones for The One Show and Fiona Bruce for Antiques Roadshow.
It also says that changes to pay packets in recent months are also not reflected as the list is compiled from salaries up to April this year.
But there are women on the list who did not appear last year.
Mary Berry’s salary is published this year, showing the former Great British Bake Off judge earns between £190,000 to £199,999 “for a range of programmes and series”.
Women who are on the list of stars earning more than £150,000 this year and appear to have received pay rises include Newsnight’s Sheffield-raised Emily Maitlis.
Maitlis, who was absent last year despite co-host Evan Davis appearing, took home between £220,000 and £229,999. Woman’s Hour host Jane Garvey, who has been outspoken in her criticism of the gender pay, is another new name and was paid between £150,000 and £159,000 for work which also includes programmes on 5 Live and episodes of Fortunately.
Other female stars to appear this year include Newsbeat’s Tina Daheley, who was paid between £150,000 and £159,000, which also includes cover for BBC Breakfast and Victoria Derbyshire. This year’s report also features 5 Live Breakfast’s Rachel Burden, Europe editor Katya Adler and Scotland Editor and Sunday Politics journalist Sarah Smith.
Over the last 12 months, the BBC has announced pay cuts for some of its male stars, including broadcasters John Humphrys, who had been paid more than £600,000, Vine, who was on more than £700,000, and Edwards, who was on more than £550,000.
It was disclosed that Today host Humphrys’ salary would drop to below £300,000, Radio 5 Live star Campbell’s to below £350,000 and newsreader Edwards’s to below £500,000 – less than what has been published because the report only reflects the past financial year.
Last year, BBC stars were able to see what their colleagues were paid when the corporation published salaries for 96 people for the first time.
It catapulted the broadcaster into turmoil, with respected China editor Carrie Gracie resigning over unequal pay.
Yesterday salaries were revealed in bands of £10,000 rather than last year’s £50,000, after discussions with the Government over transparency.
But Mishcon de Reya Partner Jennifer Millins, who represented Carrie Gracie, said: “The gender pay gap is caused by many different factors – lack of female progression being one. However, as this year’s list shows, pay equality at the BBC appears to remain an aspiration, not a reality.”