This is how much Graham Norton is earning at the BBC
Graham Norton is one of highest earners at the BBC, today’s annual report has revealed, earning £850,000 – £899,999.
The television reporter was out-earned only by sports reporter Gary Lineker who earns £1,750,000 – £1,799,999, and Chris Evans, who topped the list with £2,200,000 – £2,249,999.
Clare Balding is also one of the top earners, with a salary of £150,000 – £199,999.
BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw is in the £350,000 – £399,999 bracket.
Fellow Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills is in the £250,000 – £299,999 bracket, the same bracket as presenter Evan Davis.
The sum only includes work done for the BBC, not other production companies.
This means Norton’s amount covers pay for his Radio 2 radio show and Eurovision, but not his chatshow which is produced by So Television, an independent company.
This year is the first time the Broadcasting company has been forced to release the names of its employees who earn over £150,000.
The 2015/16 report didn’t name the highest earners but stated that 109 TV and radio presenters earned more than £150,000 in 2015-2016.
Only a third of the top earners are women.
BBC Director General Lord Hall said he wanted to close the gender pay gap and have equality on screen and radio by 2020, saying that over the last three years nearly two-thirds of new people and those promoted on TV and radio were women.
“Is this progress enough? It’s absolutely not,” he said.
Reactions from stars have been mixed.
Gary Lineker tweeted before the release, when he was rumoured to be one of the top earners
Happy BBC salary day. I blame my agent and the other TV channels that pay more. Now where did I put my tin helmet?
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) July 19, 2017
Andrew Marr also objected to the report.
“I’m well paid but I’m much less overpaid, perhaps, than people working for rival organisations who won’t go through this process,” he said last month.
However Strictly Come Dancing Presenter Claudia Winkleman said she was all for it.
“We get paid an awful lot of money and it’s a marketplace. It’s bonkers.”
The BBC said that its overall talent bill has been reduced by more than £4m over the last financial year, to £194m.
“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 told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
