BBC Male Presenters Accept Salary Cuts Following Row Over Unequal Pay

<strong>John Humphrys and Jeremy Vine have both agreed to take a pay cut from the BBC&nbsp;</strong>

Four leading male presenters at the BBC have accepted pay cuts following revelations over equal pay, the corporation has reported.

According to the BBC News website, Jeremy Vine, John Humphrys, Huw Edwards and Jon Sopel have all agreed, either formally or in principle, to reduce their salaries. 

It comes after the BBC’s China editor Carrie Gracie resigned from her role in protest at unequal pay, and called for men and women at the corporation to be paid the same, the Press Association reported. 

Last year, the broadcaster published a list of its top earners, setting out the pay for staff on more than £150,000, revealing a shocking gap in the earnings of its most well-known male and female presenters and actors. 

Radio 2’s Chris Evans topped the list on more than £2 million while the highest paid woman was Claudia Winkleman on between £450,000 and £499,999.

<strong>The BBC's China editor Carrie Gracie resigned from her post in a protest over unequal pay&nbsp;</strong>

Humphrys, who presents the Radio 4 Today programme, was shown to earn between £600,000 and £650,000. 

He said at the time: “I have taken a couple of sizeable, very large, very sizeable pay cuts just recently. How much? I don’t know… Would I chop my salary in half? Maybe I would, I don’t know.” 

Radio 2 host Vine was one of the highest paid stars, earning £700,000-£749,999, while BBC News presenter Edwards earned £550,000-£599,999 and Sopel, the BBC’s North America editor, received £200,000-£249,999.

Gracie revealed she had been earning £135,000 before the BBC offered her a £45,000 rise, which she rejected.

<strong>Huw Edwards has also agreed to take a pay cut, the broadcaster said&nbsp;</strong>

The extent of the four presenters’ pay cuts is not yet known, BBC News reported.

Earlier this month, controversial off-air comments made by Humphrys about the equal pay row were heard in a leaked recording.

The broadcasting veteran was heard to say he could hand over more than the entire salary of his colleague Sopel, and still be “left with more than anybody else”.

Humphrys told ITV News he backed equal pay, stating: “We are in habit, Jon and I, of winding each other up and the purpose of this jokey – I emphasise jokey – exchange was a bit of mutual mickey-taking, and that is all it was.”

The BBC said at the time it was “committed to getting its pay structures right” and that it was conducting a “comprehensive analysis” of presenter pay.