BBC stars' salaries are revealed – who gets the most?

From Prima

For the first time, the BBC has revealed its biggest stars' salaries in its latest annual report.

Details of anyone earning over £150,000 were revealed, with BBC Radio 2 DJ and former Top Gear star Chris Evans out on top, with £2 million to £2.49m.

Only a third of the names revealed are women. The highest paid female employee is Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman with £450,000 to £499,000. In comparison, her co-host Tess Daly gets £350k to £400k.

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker is the second highest-paid star with £1.75m to 1.79m. He pre-empted this with a cheeky tweet:

Graham Norton's salary is £850k to £899k (though that doesn't include his chat show, as that is produced by an independent production company), while Clare Balding gets between £150k and £199k.

George Alagiah, Jason Mohammad and Trevor Nelson are the highest paid BAME (Black, Asian, minority ethnic) stars, each receiving between £250k and £300k. The highest-paid female star with a BAME background is BBC news presenter Mishal Husain, with £200k and £250k.

Perhaps surprisingly, the highest paid actor is Casualty veteran Derek Thompson with £350k to £399, while the highest paid actress is the medical soap's Amanda Mealing with £250k to £299k. Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi gets £200k to £250k.

©GETTY IMAGES

The top ten in full:

1. Chris Evans £2.2m - £2.25m

2. Gary Lineker £1.75m - £1.8m

3. Graham Norton £850,0000 - £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. Claudia Winkleman £450,000 - £499,999

= 8. Matt Baker £450,000 - £499,999

= 9. Nicky Campbell £400,000 - £449,999

= 9. Andrew Marr £400,000 - £449,999

= 9. Stephen Nolan £400,000 - £449,999

= 9. Alan Shearer £400,000 - £449,999

=9. Alex Jones £400,000 - £449,000

10. Fiona Bruce £350,000 - £399,999

Other highlights:

• Danny Dyer - £200k to £249k

• Adam Woodyatt - £200k to £249k

• Lacey Turner - £150k to £199k

• Dan Walker - £200k to £249k

©BBC/JAY BROOKS / MATT BURLEM

The annual report contains pay information in bands and does not reveal exact amounts. It also doesn't include stars who receive their pay through BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm.

The figures only refer to the amount of licence fee money each person receives and does not include their earnings from other broadcasters or commercial work.

BBC director general Lord Hall said the findings reveal that the BBC has to 'go further and faster' on gender issues, but that the corporation was 'pushing faster than any other major broadcaster'.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today, he added: 'By 2020 we will have equality between men and women on air, and we will also have the pay gap sorted by then too.'

The BBC said its overall talent bill had been reduced by over £4m over the last financial year, to £194m.

©BBC ALISTAIR HEAP

'I completely understand that to lots and lots of people these are very large sums but we are a global broadcaster, in a very competitive market,' Lord Hall said. 'And we have to be competitive but not foolishly.

'No-one would want us to be paying sums where it's not at a discount to the market. People expect us to have great broadcasters, great presenters, great stars but pay them less than they would get in the market.'

Piers Morgan – clearly not understanding what the word 'embargo' means – tweeted a number of the salaries before the full list was unveiled at 11am. And was rather proud of it, naturally:

The BBC had spent the morning putting a positive spin before the results were published, with a series of tweets:

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