Between April and June, four prominent BBC presenters who worked as freelancers for other businesses made over £10,000.
Since January 2021, on-air talent and top executives have been required to openly disclose any paid outside activities, including public speaking engagements, appearances, or writing obligations.
As part of a series of steps to ensure the broadcaster’s neutrality, director-general Tim Davie announced the change in October 2020.
According to the BBC’s external events register, Clive Myrie, Nick Robinson, Huw Edwards, and Katya Adler received unreported payments totaling more than £10,000 in the last three months.
Myrie, the host of Mastermind, got cash from SCC on May 19 to moderate an event, while Robinson, the broadcaster of Radio 4’s Today, received payment from Mishcon de Reya on May 5 for speaking at an event.
Myrie’s pay ranged from £255,000 to £259,999 according to the BBC’s 2021/2022 annual report, while Robinson’s pay ranged from £270,000 to $274,999.
The Futures Industry Association compensated Europe editor Adler for a lecture he gave on June 7.
Additionally, on May 11, News at Ten anchor Edwards received payment for presiding over a gathering for The British Insurance Brokers’ Association.
Adler made between £215,000 and £219,999 in 2021–2022, while Edwards made between £410,000 and $414,999, according to the BBC annual report.
The register divides contributions into four categories: under $1,000, between $1,000 and $5,000, between $5,000 and $10,000, and above $10,000.
Thirteen BBC journalists, including Fiona Bruce and Naga Munchetty, received compensation ranging from £5,000 to £10,000.
The longest-tenured Newsnight presenter, Kirsty Wark, took on two jobs in that wage range: presenting an event for World Skills UK and conducting interviews for the law firm Akin Gump.
For two separate appearances—one as the presenter of PR Week and the other as a speaker for the Association of Investment Companies—Myrie received payments ranging from £5,000 to £10,000.
The bracket also includes Faisal Islam, Spencer Kelly, and Robinson as journalists.
Before accepting any engagements from outside sources, staff members must get written consent from a divisional head of department.
Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, defended the company’s top performers’ salaries, which range from £150,000 to £1.3 million, stating that the national broadcaster has been “showing remarkable discipline.”
Given the “severe hyper-inflation and competitiveness that has boosted compensation for certain stars—and Gary Lineker becoming the BBC’s highest earner on air-talent for the sixth straight year—just it’s a “fraction,” according to Davie—of the organization’s overall staffing expenditure.
The BBC’s licence price will be fixed over the course of the next two years while accounting for inflation, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries stated earlier this year.
Mr. Davie said that in light of inflation and a fixed licence price, he was “of course” worried about keeping top talent.
“I believe we are in a competitive market, and I believe the BBC has, to some extent, always been in this situation,” he remarked. However, as well-funded international firms join the market, it has become increasingly competitive.
There will be a greater need for skills since the news and audio industries are becoming more globalised.
“In general, I would (say) look at the data,” I would say. Actually, if you looked at our presenting talent, I was looking at our so-called attrition rate, which is about 3%.
“There are stories about specific persons and some regrettable losses, but our figure in terms of the people being maintained in the BBC is high,” the speaker said.