BBC Trust to investigate salary demands of Jeremy Clarkson & Graham Norton
The BBC is moving to clampdown on the costs incurred through the wage bill of some of its highest paid presenters; including Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson and Graham Norton, presenter of the eponymous show.
A review conducted by the BBC Trust later this year will look at how these costs stack up against commercial rivals in a bid to find ways of reducing the £200m in pay it dishes out to its biggest stars.
In a statement the Trust said it: “will examine the BBC’s processes to control costs in recruiting and developing talent, and benchmark against the wider market”.
The broadcaster currently doles out between £500,000 and £5m each to 14 ‘stars’ including Newsnight host Jeremy Paxman and Antiques Roadshow front Fiona Bruce.
A spokeswoman for the network said: “We know that our audiences expect the best talent to appear on the BBC. This review will be an opportunity to re-examine the market to make sure that we continue to attract and retain quality on-air talent whilst ensuring value for money for licence-fee payers.”
A spate of defections from the BBC in recent years has thrown the spotlight on its ability to compete against commercial rivals, most recently witnessed in the departure of BBC Three boss Zai Bennett to become director of Sky Atlantic.