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BBC gender pay gap: the women who won

Rachel Burden, Sarah Montague and Jane Garvey - BBC
Rachel Burden, Sarah Montague and Jane Garvey - BBC

A year ago, the BBC revealed it had a gender pay problem. Two-thirds of its highest-paid stars were men, with women making up just 34 of the top 96 names who were earning more than £150,000.

The backlash from female presenters was understandably huge. Today presenter Sarah Montague was "incandescent with rage" at the news, saying she "felt a sap" when she learned she was paid less than her Radio 4 co-stars. Meanwhile China editor Carrie Gracie was beginning her own year-long battle over pay discrimination, successfully disputing the fact that her male counterparts in other BBC bureaux were paid significantly more than her. 

The women of the Beeb assembled. A year on, and new figures published by the corporation reveal that some changes have been made, but more still needs to be done. 

Many of the women who led the gender pay gap campaign have made it onto a new list of top earners. But the BBC's 12 highest-paid stars are all men. Gary Lineker is the BBC's best-paid presenter on £1.75-£1.78 million a year. His World Cup colleague, Alan Shearer, earns £410,000-419,999, and the pair are followed by Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans on £1,660,000-1,669,999.

The highest paid woman on the list is Claudia Winkleman, on a published salary of £370,000-379,999, though Winkleman's salary only covers her Radio 2 show and occasional BBC work, and does not include the money she earns for Strictly Come Dancing.

Ballsy BBC Women who have hit back over the gender pay gap row
Ballsy BBC Women who have hit back over the gender pay gap row

Elsewhere, the gender pay gap is still very much in evidence. Of the 64 people on the list of presenters who earn £150,000 or more, only 22 are women. They include women whose omission from the list last year caused a furious backlash, and who fought to be paid fairly.

Emily Maitlis now earns £220,000-229,999 for presenting Newsnight, and Sarah Montague, formerly of the Today programme, earns £160,000-169,999. 

There was anger last year when both women were revealed to be paid less than £150,000, far less than their male colleagues. BBC Women, a group set up in the light of the gender pay gap, said in a statement: "This list shows how far the BBC still has to go in valuing women and men equally for their work. A year on from the formation of our group, many women at all levels of the organisation are still involved in protracted and gruelling processes to address their pay claims.

"We urge management to resolve these as swiftly as possible and in full accordance with the law. From now on, we expect all management decisions on pay, promotion and recruitment to be made with equal pay as a given."

In the aftermath, a number of high profile BBC men took pay cuts.

There is undoubtedly still a way to go until gender parity is reached - both at the Beeb and at countless other companies across the UK who have come under scrutiny for their pay gap figures this year - but it's worth noting there are some big names on today's list who weren't there last year, and that is thanks largely to some tenacious (and entirely necessary) campaigning on the part of BBC Women. 

Here are some of the women who won...

Emily Maitlis

Emily Maitlis - Credit: BBC
Emily Maitlis Credit: BBC

The Newsnight presenter didn't make the list of top earners last year, despite her fellow host Evan Davis earning up to £299,000. Her agent Alex Armitage tweeted at the time that her absence from the pay list was "beyond madness and being dealt with". 

She is said to have been among a number of BBC staff who were offered pay rises ahead of the report's release and didn't take it. 

Maitlis entered into talks with the Beeb in the weeks after the list was released, and accepted a new offer from the corporation. The list states that Maitlis now earns £220,000-229,999 for presenting Newsnight, compared to Davis' £250,000-£259,999. 

Jane Garvey

Jane Garvey presents Woman's Hour - Credit: Guy Levy
Jane Garvey presents Woman's Hour Credit: Guy Levy

The Woman's Hour presenter tweeted on the morning of the announcement: “I’m looking forward to presenting BBC Woman’s Hour today. We’ll be discussing #genderpaygap. As we’ve done since 1946. Going well, isn’t it?”

Garvey has since told how revelations about the pay gap were "dragged out" of the corporation who, she claimed, were "very unwilling" to publish the pay level of its top earners. 

She accused the BBC of "deceiving" women at the organisation when it claimed that action was being taken to close the gender pay gap, and organised a letter from some of the BBC's most prominent female stars calling on the corporation to "act now" on pay. 

Garvey is one of the women who received pay increases, making her one of the 22 women on the BBC's list of top earners, with a salary of £150,000-£159,999.  

Katya Adler

Carrie Gracie resigned last year because managers could not grasp that her case was not about more money but more equality. Having been promoted to one of the big four international editor jobs on the condition that all of them - Jon Sopel in Washington, Jeremy Bowen in Beirut, Katya Adler in Brussels, and Carrie Gracie in Beijing - were being paid equally, she was appalled when it was revealed women (including herself and Adler) didn't feature among the highest earners at the BBC.

The BBC's Europe editor has since entered the list of top earners and seen her salary rise to £170,000-£179,999, but her counterpart in the United States, US editor Jon Sopel, is still on significantly more than her, with a salary of £230,000-£239,999. 

The highest paid stars at the BBC 2017-18
The highest paid stars at the BBC 2017-18

Tina Daheley

The Newsbeat presenter has entered the list of top earners, with a salary of £150,000-£159,999. 

When the BBC gender pay gap emerged in July last year, Daheley tweeted: “You don’t have to be a woman to fight the pay gap.”

She later commented: “Now it’s out there in black and white people know what they have to do. Transparency’s a good thing."

Tina Daheley - Credit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph 
Tina Daheley Credit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph

Sarah Montague

Montague is now on the list of top BBC earners, with a salary of £160,000-£169,999.

After it was revealed that she wasn't being paid equally, she said that she felt "incandescent with rage."

Two of her male counterparts on Today still earn significantly more, with John Humphries on £400,000-£409,999, and Nick Robinson on £250,000-£259,999, though fellow presenter Mishal Husain is also on a higher salary than Montague - earning £220,000-£229,999. 

Rachel Burden

Rachel Burden's lack of position on the top earners list was among the most shocking revelations of last year's figures, as her co-presenter Nicky Campbell was firmly on there with a salary of £400,000 - £270,000 more than she was earning. 

The 5 live presenter told how a storm had been brewing at the BBC for some time, writing in the Guardian: "It’s been amazing and encouraging to see how women across the BBC have come together on this. Whatsapp groups and email threads are flying around.

"It has thrown up issues well beyond basic pay – including the types of contracts being offered to women and changes to terms of employment which may disproportionately affect part-time staff."

Burden campaigned for parity alongside her BBC Women colleagues. She has now seen her pay increased to £150,000-£159,999. Campbell, meanwhile, is now on £410,000-£419,999. 

2017 BBC salaries list: the biggest surprises
2017 BBC salaries list: the biggest surprises

Carrie Gracie

Carrie Gracie has been a the forefront of the fight for gender equality in pay at the BBC, campaigning even before the figures were released. 

Speaking on Radio 4 in January, Gracie said: "In October the BBC made me a pay offer. My pay is £135,000 and the BBC offered to raise that to £180,000.

"But I was not interested in more money I was interested in equality. I kept saying to my managers I didn't need more money, I just needed to be equal."

The BBC has recently apologised to the news presenter for underpaying her for a number of years, and said it had now "put this right" by giving her back pay. She donated the full, undisclosed amount to the Fawcett Society, a charity that campaigns for gender equality and women's rights. 

She said: "for me this was always about the principle and not about the money". 

"Today at the BBC I can say I am equal. I would like women in workplaces up and down this country to be able to say the same. This has been an enormously long, hard road to get here. It has involved so much work by so many people, and I am proud of it."

BBC highest earners 2017/18

Gary Lineker - £1,750,000-1,759,999

Chris Evans - £1,660,000-1,669,999

Graham Norton - £600,000-609,999

Steve Wright - £550,000-559,999

Huw Edwards - £520,000-529,999

Jeremy Vine - £440,000-449,999

Alan Shearer - £410,000-419,999

Nicky Campbell - £410,000-419,999

Stephen Nolan - £400,000-409,999

John Humphrys - £400,000-409,999

Andrew Marr - £400,000-409,999

Nick Grimshaw - £400,000-409,999

Claudia Winkleman - £370,000-£379,999

New on the list:

Emily Maitlis (Newsnight) - £220,000-£229,999

Sarah Montague (Today) - £160,000-£169,999

Tina Daheley (Newsbeat, cover for BBC Breakfast/Victoria Derbyshire) - £150,000-£159,999

Amol Rajan (Media Editor) - £200,000-209,999

Katya Adler (Europe Editor) - £170,000-£179,999

Simon Jack (Business Editor) - £150,000-£159,999

Fergal Keane (Africa Editor) - £150,000-£159,999

Sarah Smith (Scotland Editor and Sunday Politics) - £150,000-£159,999

Rachel Burden (5 Live Breakfast, Your Call) - £150,000-£159,999

Jane Garvey (Woman's Hour, Fortunately, 5 Live) - £150,000-£159,999

Ian Wright (5 Live 606, football) - £170,000-£179,999

Mary Berry (various) - £190,000-£199,999