We pay for the Beeb’s stars so it’s time to stop hiding their huge salaries
YET again, those conniving little tricksters who run the BBC have done all they can to stop us knowing how our money is spent.
The latest fix is part of a grand cover-up of presenters’ salaries, which the corporation’s hapless management are patting themselves on the back about.
They’ve created a loophole that allows the firm to keep hidden the salaries of stars from shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders and The One Show.
The official argument is that those programmes are made by BBC Studios, which it claims is a standalone commercial production company.
Of course, that’s a load of nonsense.
The harsh reality is that the three shows I’ve mentioned are paid for out of the licence fee for British audiences.
Unlike a drama such as Poldark, which I accept is a big international hit, you’re not going to see Matt Baker and Alex Jones (both paid £450-499,000 last year) chatting badgers on telly in Asia or the Middle East.
What it needs to realise – and fast – is that this sort of honesty with the public is the only hope it has of finally cracking down on irrational agents and talent who demand astronomical commercial fees for their so-called stars.
The evidence of that stupid system is clear for all to see.
Banal and ageing Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills is paid an eye-watering £280-to-£289k to read out a few lines between songs for three hours an afternoon.
That’s far more than Greg James (£170-to-£179k), who has just been entrusted with the all-important and much harder breakfast shift.
Why? Because before the BBC had to publish these shocking figures, agents and radio bosses ran riot.
They’d argue that they had to pay those rates to stop “top talent” such as Scott jumping ship to a commercial station.
Good luck to him if he thinks Heart or Magic are going to pay that sort of fee. If they did he should absolutely go.
Commercial stations are, of course, allowed to if they genuinely think Scott will justify that sort of salary in terms of the commercial revenue he brings in.
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The BBC should not be competing with the commercial sector in this way when it comes to talent.
The stars who work there – and the agents who represent them – need to understand they are essentially civil servants being paid for by taxpayers.
They’re in a privileged position getting to work for an organisation where they are not judged on minute-by-minute TV ratings or commercial success.
And if the BBC takes its responsibilities seriously in terms of actually saving us as much money as possible and addressing the gender pay gap, it will voluntarily start publishing the salaries of ALL presenters and talent.
The fact a show is produced by BBC Studios shouldn’t make an iota of difference – it’s still a BBC show.
And if it doesn’t, the Government should crack down on this loophole, which protects the blushes of BBC middle management rather than licence-fee payers.