Lost actors find £45,000 a show

They may have Lost their way after a plane crash, but they have found treasure on their remote island.

The stars of the award-winning TV series Lost have doubled their salaries to almost £45,000 per episode.

Matthew Fox has also been given a one-off bonus of £140,000 because of his 'pivotal' role as Dr Jack Shephard.

But the new pay deal has one catch - the actors were warned their characters could be killed off at any time.

The extra cash has been handed to the original main cast of the show, also including Evangeline Lilly (Kate) and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie).

The actors and producers Touchstone Television refused to comment yesterday. An insider said: 'The cast are delighted with the news. But they have no guarantee about how long they'll remain in the show.'

The actors had complained about being paid far less than the stars of rival drama, Desperate Housewives.

Now they will be earning almost a third of the £141,000 per episode paid to Nicolette Sheridan, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria.

Teri Hatcher is paid £160,000. They all enjoyed large salary rises when the series became a big hit.

But they have a way to go to match the pay cheques for the stars of Friends. They were earning £ 1million each for every episode of the show's final run.

Filming has begun on a third series of Lost, with the second run due to hit British screens this spring.

The series won best drama at the Golden Globe awards last week.