‘Cloud cuckoo land’ of BBC’s 39 bosses paid more than PM

Top earner: Director-general Mark Thompson gets a total package worth £834,000
12 April 2012

The BBC came under renewed fire for its "cloud cuckoo land" pay after it disclosed that 39 of its top bosses earn more than the Prime Minister.

However, it appears that BBC executives are reining in their expenses after being heavily criticised earlier in the year for claiming for costs such as gifts for Jonathan Ross and Bruce Forsyth.

The corporation today revealed the remuneration and expenses details of 107 of its best paid and most influential executives.

The highest pay went to director-general Mark Thompson, who is on a base salary of £664,000 but gets a total package worth £834,000 — more than four times Gordon Brown's pay of £197,689.

The "fat cat" pay is also received by managers much further down the BBC food chain. In total about 80 employees, whose pay is mainly funded by the licence payer, are better rewarded than Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, the Cabinet minister who answers to Parliament for the BBC and earns £144,520.

More than 100 BBC staff whose salaries were disclosed get more than Sion Simon, the junior minister with day to day responsibility for the corporation. He is paid £96,167.

The figures angered campaigners for cuts in public spending and BBC staff. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "While it is good that the BBC is finally coming clean with licence fee payers about its staff costs, this step has taken far too long and will reveal in stark light the culture of profligacy in the top echelons at the BBC.

"The public's confidence in the corporation is at a historic low after recent scandals and it now befalls BBC executives to show they understand the need for restraint, as well as transparency, when it comes to Auntie's spending."

One BBC programme maker said: "Most people here are absolutely scandalised by these salaries. The people who make the programmes have absolutely no sympathy for these executives, some of whom have very limited line responsibility. There is a feeling that we don't need to pay these top people so much, it's all got out of all proportion. The people at the top of the BBC have no idea of the anger, they are living in cloud cuckoo land."

Eye-catching salaries for executives well below board level include £241,230 for Roger Mosey, who is in charge of the BBC's preparations for the Olympics and other events in 2012. Danny Cohen, controller of the digital TV channel BBC Three, which has an audience share of 1.1 per cent, gets a base pay of £225,000 and total remuneration of £232,800. Richard Klein, controller of BBC Four, which has a 0.5 per cent share, gets £195,000 in base pay and total remuneration of £202,800.

Caroline Thomson, the BBC's chief operating officer, who is paid £333,000, said: "Today's launch is a direct response to the public who have indicated that they would like more information about how the BBC is run in a way which marks a step change in openness, simplicity and accountability."

The BBC has agreed to cut its senior management pay bill by 25 per cent over the next three and a half years.

Auntie's earners: The broadcasting executives on salary gravy train

Jay Hunt
Controller, BBC One
Salary: £265,000
Total remuneration: £272,800

She is responsible for the direction of BBC One, including its strategy, programmes commissioned and scheduling. She took up the role in May 2008 after moving from Five, where she was director of programmes.

Since becoming controller she has introduced shows including Let's Dance For Comic Relief. She claimed £344.25 for "external entertainment" at the RTS Programme Awards on 17 March. She bought two bunches of flowers costing £53.94 and £36.49 and a bottle of spirits costing £29.74 in May for undisclosed people.

Janice Hadlow
Controller, BBC Two
Salary: £225,000
Total remuneration: £232,800

Hadlow has overall responsibility for the direction of BBC Two, including its strategy, programmes commissioned and scheduling. She started the role last November, after being controller of BBC Four.

In 2007, she was invited to be the Murdoch Visiting Professor of Media at the University of Oxford. She spent £970.62 on 40 centrally booked minicabs in three months, £99.85 discussing the creative direction of Newsnight with staff on 12 March and £107.45 on "external hospitality" in relation to an interview for Broadcast magazine on 14 May.

Daniel Cohen
Controller, BBC Three
Salary: £225,000
Total remuneration: £232,800

Responsible for the overall direction of BBC Three, including strategy, programmes commissioned and scheduling

When he first took up the role in 2007, he revamped the look of the channel, which is aimed at 16 to 34-year-olds. He has commissioned factual programmes including Britain's Missing Top Model and The World's Strictest Parents.

He claimed £233.80 in "external entertainment" costs to discuss an undisclosed new series and £438.58 to discuss series two of Being Human.

Frances Allcock
Director, Organisational Development and Change
Salary: £188,100
Total remuneration: £195,900

She is responsible for the policy and direction of the BBC's approach to managing employees' performance.

She was also involved in overseeing the moves to London W1 and Salford.

She took two centrally booked minicabs costing over £50 on the same day while visiting BBC Scotland, one for £57.95 and another for £70.67

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