Zero women make it into BBC’s list of top 10 highest paid stars

[Hogg]

THERE are no women in the BBC’s top ten highest “talent” earners and Gary Lineker is now its best paid star, its annual report says.

Match of the Day host Gary, 57, earns £1.75million — around £1.3million more than the top-paid female Claudia Winkleman.

She is 13th on the list, earning between £370,000 and £379,000.

But this figure does not include her Strictly salary as the show is made by the Beeb’s commercial arm, BBC Studios.

Radio 2 host Vanessa Feltz is the only other woman in the top 20, on between £330,000 to £339,000. Gabby Logan is the top female earner in sport, on between £230,000 and £239,999.

Last year’s talent pay disclosure sparked fury after it showed many female stars were paid less than their male counterparts — leading to several threatening to quit.

The BBC insists it has reduced the gender pay divide — with the ratio of men to women earning more than £150,000 going from 76:24 last year to 66:34 this time.

But the Corporation has chosen to hide the pay of at least 30 individuals — including stars on EastEnders and Strictly — through the BBC Studios loophole.

Female presenters new to the licence fee-funded talent pay list include Emily Maitlis, who now earns up to £230,000, Jane Garvey on up to £160,000, and Sarah Montague on up to £170,000.

Emily, 47, was furious last year when she discovered that Newsnight co-host Evan Davis, 56, got up to £299,999 while she was on less than £150,000.

Tina Daheley, 37, who fronted the News at Ten for the first time this week, is also now earning up to £159,999, along with new Sunday Politics host Sarah Smith, 49.

Former Bake Off host Mary Berry, 83, is another new addition. She did not appear last year as she was paid via an independent production company, but is now listed as earning up to £199,999.

The increases come after a number of big name male stars agreed to significant wage cuts and BBC bosses moved to close the pay divide.

Andrew Neil, 69, and John Inverdale, 60, no longer had their wages made public — indicating their pay has dropped below the £150,000 threshold for publication.

But Beeb sources said a number of the salary reductions taken by male talent — including John Humphrys and Huw Edwards — are not reflected in this year’s figures.