Ex BBC war correspondent Martin Bell says newsreaders at corporation are paid 'far too much' for reading 'words off an autocue' and reveals he never asked for pay rise in 33 years
Veteran BBC newsman Martin Bell believes newsreaders are paid 'far too much' for reading 'words off an autocue' - and revealed he never asked for a pay rise in 33 years.
The 82-year-old, who first starting working for the BBC in 1962 before quitting in the mid-1990s to run for election as an 'anti-sleaze' MP, said he was 'amazed' at how much BBC presenters were earning.
The top earner is Huw Edwards, who is paid around £465,000-a-year, with others including Newsnight's Emily Maitlis, on around £375,000-a-year, and Question Time host Fiona Bruce, on £455,000-a-year.
Speaking today, Martin, who was injured by shrapnel while reporting in Sarajevo during the war in Bosnia in 1992 and was awarded an OBE the same year, said he was only earning £60,000-a-year by the time he left the BBC after 33 years.
Veteran broadcaster Martin Bell, 82, has revealed he never asked for a pay rise in 33 years
Martin Bell said he was 'amazed' by BBC salaries, including Newsnight's Emily Maitlis on £375K
He said: 'I'm amazed now by BBC news stars' pay. When I read about today's news stars I think no one deserves that amount, however good they are.
'A lot of it is just reading words off an autocue.
'It's not like they're risking their lives. I'm not angry about it, but I just wonder how they can justify the salary to themselves.'
He added: 'When I was at the BBC I didn't ask for a pay rise for 33 years, but I've no regrets as it was a huge privilege to do what I was doing.
Huw Edwards is one of the BBC's highest news earners with an annual salary of £465,000
'More savvy colleagues said I should have been fighting to get a lucrative contract, but I just loved doing the job.'
He told the Business & Money supplement in The Sunday Times: 'The only time I was even mildly affluent was when I was an MP, because I had a BBC pension and parliamentary salary.
'A lot of MPs complained they were underpaid, but I don't think I was.'
Asked to reveal his 'money weakness', he said he spent too much on his favourite tipple, adding: 'I probably spend too much on whisky. Bells of course, although there's no family link.'
The BBC faced a backlash last month after it emerged the corporation's pay bill for its stars rose by more than £1million last year to £143.6million.
Last year Zoe Ball saw her salary rise to £1.36million-a-year in 2019 - the year she took over the Radio Two Breakfast Show hot seat from Chris Evans.
The Beeb's annual report shows that 76 presenters earn more than the Prime Minister’s wage of £150,000 a year.
It has also emerged that the BBC had given pay rises to more than 700 female employees since the start of its equal pay scandal.
Chief amongst them was Zoe Ball, who saw her salary rise to £1.36million-a-year in 2019 - the year she took over the Radio Two Breakfast Show hot seat from Chris Evans.
She became the BBC's top earner when Match of the Day host Gary Lineker recently agreed to take a 23 per cent pay cut when he signed a new five-year deal with the broadcaster.
Ms Ball, 49, intends to drop back below former England striker turned football show host Gary Lineker (pictured left), who is set to earn around £1.3million-a-year after his pay cut, the paper says. Ms Ball's pay-rise came after she took over the BBC Radio Two Breakfast Show from Chris Evans (pictured right)
But Ms Ball, who host of Strictly It Takes Two, is also set for a pay cut at her own request, according to The Sun.
The 49-year-old intends to drop back below the former England striker turned football show host, who is set to earn around £1.3million-a-year after his pay cut, the paper says.
A BBC source told the Sun: 'Zoe was given a very big pay rise when she took on the job because the gender pay row at the BBC was raging and she was replacing a man on a big wage in a high-profile job.
'She has always been thankful for the wage she earns, and she does work very hard, getting up at 4am daily and putting in long hours.