BBC turns spotlight on pay for stars like Graham Norton

The pay bill for some of the BBC’s biggest screen and radio stars, including Graham Norton and Jeremy Clarkson, is to be examined in a review by the BBC Trust which will look at how the costs compare to commercial rivals.

Among those thought to be among the highest-paid figures at the corporation are chat host and Radio 2 star Norton, Top Gear’s Clarkson, Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman, Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker and Fiona Bruce from BBC1’s Antiques Roadshow.

The trust has now announced it will look into the issue of “talent” pay — which is thought to amount to around £200m (€242m) annually — among its programme of reviews over the coming months.