The BBC has promised to improve its gender balance after a list of the corporation’s best-paid broadcasters had only two women among the top ten. Chris Evans, Gary Lineker and Graham Norton topped the list of 96 broadcasters earning more than £150,000 a year, with men accounting for two-thirds of those named.
List of top 10 earners:
- 1. Chris Evans — £2,200,000-£2,249,999
- 2. Gary Lineker — £1,750,000-£1,799,999
- 3. Graham Norton — £850,000-£899,999
- 4. Jeremy Vine — £700,000-£749,999
- 5. John Humphrys — £600,000-£649,999
- 6. Huw Edwards — £550,000-£599,999
- 7. Steve Wright — £500,000-£549,999
- 8. Matt Baker — £450,000-£499,999
- = Claudia Winkleman — £450,000-£499,999
- 10. Nicky Campbell — £400,000-£449,999
- = Alex Jones — £400,000-£449,999
- = Andrew Marr — £400,000-£449,999
- = Stephen Nolan — £400,000-£449,999
- = Alan Shearer — £400,000-£449,999
Evans, who presents Top Gear and the Radio 2 breakfast show, earned more than £2.2 million last year and Lineker earned more than £1.75 million. Norton earned more than £850,000, although that does not include his weekly television show, which is made by an independent company.
Claudia Winkleman and Alex Jones, the only women in the top 10, each earned less than £500,000. The BBC’s director general, Tony Hall, said that, despite the yawning gender pay gap, the corporation was making progress.
“At the moment, of the talent earning over £150,000, two-thirds are men and one-third are women. We’ve set a clear target for 2020: we want all our lead and presenting roles to be equally divided between men and women,” he said.
“And it’s already having an impact. If you look at those on the list who we have hired or promoted in the last three years, 60 per cent are women.”
The BBC initially resisted publishing the salaries but the government insisted they should be made public when the corporation’s royal charter was renewed. Lord Hall defended the pay levels, pointing out that the BBC’s bill for highly-paid broadcasters is falling and that many work for less than the market rate.
“The BBC does not exist in a market on its own where it can set the market rates. If we are to give the public what they want, then we have to pay for those great presenters and stars. The public agree,” he said.
Seamus Dooley, acting general secretary of the National Union of Journalists in Britain, pointed out that the 96 broadcasters earning more than £150,000 represented only a fraction of those working at the BBC.
“Use of the word ‘talent’ to describe just the top layer of workers is misleading in that every programme depends on a dedicated and talented staff, many of whom earn a fraction of that paid to the top stars,” he said.
“While there is a predictable media focus on the money paid to on-screen stars, the NUJ has long called for a review of the terms and conditions of senior BBC executives and in any debate on salaries senior executives should not escape the focus of attention.”
Here is the full list of who gets paid what
RADIO
- Chris Evans (Pay bracket: £2,200,000 - £2,249,999)
- Steve Wright (Pay bracket: £500,000 - £549,999)
Pay bracket: £350,000 - £399,999
- Vanessa Feltz
- Nicholas Grimshaw
- Simon Mayo
£300,000 - £349,999
- Lauren Laverne
£250,000 - £299,999
- Ken Bruce
- Scott Mills
- Trevor Nelson
£200,000 - £249,999
- Mark Radcliffe
£150,000 - £199,999
- Adrian Chiles
- Greg James
- Shaun Keaveny
- Moira Stuart
- Jo Whiley
SPORT
- Gary Lineker (Pay bracket: £1,750,000 - £1,799,999)
Pay bracket: £400,000 - £449,999
- Alan Shearer
£300,000 - £349,999
- Sue Barker
£250,000 -£299,999
- Jason Mohammad
£200,000 - £249,999
- John Inverdale
- Gabby Logan
£150,000 - £199,999
- Jonathan Agnew
- Clare Balding
- Jonathan Davies
- John McEnroe
EASTENDERS
Pay bracket: £200,000 - £249,999
- Danny Dyer
- Adam Woodyatt
£150,000 - £199,999
- Laurie Brett
- Letitia Dean
- Tameka Empson
- Linda Henry
- Scott Maslen
- Diane Parish
- Gillian Taylforth
- Lacey Turner
PRESENTERS
- Alex Jones (Pay bracket: £400,000 - £499,999)
- Nicky Campbell (Pay bracket: £400,000 - £449,999)
- Eddie Mair (Pay bracket: £300,000 - £349,999)
Pay bracket: £850,000 - £899,999
- Graham Norton
£700,000 - £749,999
- Jeremy Vine
£600,000 - £649,000
- John Humphrys
£550,000 - £599,999
- Huw Edwards
£450,000 - £499,999
- Matt Baker
- Claudia Winkleman
£400,000 - £449,000
- Andrew Marr
- Stephen Nolan
£350,000 - £399,999
- Fiona Bruce
£250,000 - £299,999
- Zoe Ball
- Brian Cox
- Evan Davis
£200,000 - £249,999
- Mark Chapman
- Jools Holland
- Dan Walker
£150,000 - £199,999
- Naga Munchetty
DRAMA
- Derek Thompson (Pay bracket: £350,000 - £399,999)
- Amanda Mealing (Pay bracket: £250,000 - £299,999)
Pay bracket: £200,000 - £249,999
- Peter Capaldi
- Emilia Fox
- David Jason
- Rosie Marcel
£150,000 - £199,999
- Guy Henry
- Hugh Quarshie
- Jemma Redgrave
- Tim Roth
- Catherine Shipton
NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
Pay bracket: £250,000 - £299,999
- George Alagiah - Presenter
- Nicholas Robinson - Presenter
£200,000 - £249,999
- Victoria Derbyshire - Presenter
- Mishal Hussain - Presenter
- Martha Kearney - Presenter
- Laura Kuenssberg - Correspondent
- Andrew Neil - Presenter
- Jonathan Sopel - Correspondent
£150,000 - £199,999
- Kamal Ahmed - Correspondent
- Jeremy Bowen - Correspondent
- Ben Brown - Presenter
- Mark Easton - Correspondent
- Gavin Esler - Presenter
- James Naughtie - Correspondent
- John Pienaar - Correspondent
- Sophie Raworth - Presenter
- John Simpson - Correspondent
- Kirsty Wark - Presenter
- Justin Webb - Presenter
TV NON SCRIPTED (Factual and Entertainment)
Pay bracket: £350,000 - £399,999
- Tess Daly - Presenter
£300,000 - £349,999
- Nick Knowles - Presenter
£200,000 - £249,999
- Gary Barlow - Contributor
- Len Goodman - Contributor
- Danii Minogue - Contributor
- Bruno Tonoli - Contributor
- Alan Yentob - Presenter
- £150,000 - £199,999
- Darcey Bussell - Contributor
- Mel Giedroyc - Presenter
- Craig Horwood - Contributor
- Paul Martin - Presenter
- Simon Schama - Presenter
SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS AND WRITERS
Pay bracket: £150,000 - £199,999
- Daryl Bramley - Programme Manager
- Colin Brown - Identity Architect
- Roy Clarke - Writer
- Patrick Foody - Analytics Architect
- Claire Hetherington - IT Programme Manager
- James Hewines - Technical Project Manager
- Daran Little - Writer
- Ruth Moreland - Project Manager
- Andy Pryor - Casting Manager
- Terence Reeves - Service Architect
- Noel Scotford - Programme Manager
- Richard Smith - Integration Lead
