‘Double your pay' offer to end West Wing strike

Bosses of television programme The West Wing have offered to end a strike by four of its stars by doubling their pay, it was reported today.

The four actors refused to show up for rehearsals last week, forcing bosses at Warner Bros to send home the crew and the show’s two main stars, Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe.

Today the Hollywood Reporter said Warner Bros have offered to settle the dispute with Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer and Bradley Whitford by doubling their pay.

The television studio claims the pay-rise offer is in recognition of the 18 Emmy nominations the drama, about the staff of the White House, gained last week.

But the actors, who play senior White House staff members, claim they were promised pay rises this season in line with the show’s success a claim rejected by Warner Bros.

Their actors’ lawyer, Peter Nelson, said they ‘‘fully intend to honour their agreement as long as Warner Bros honours its agreement’’ - meaning they will return to work if their pay is increased in line with their original claim.

The actors are thought to be paid less than 50,000 dollars (£35,000) per episode and want to increase that to just under 100,000 dollars (£70,000) for each part of the series.

The show is a primetime hit in the United States, with Martin Sheen, who plays President Joshia Bartlet, topping real-life presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton in opinion polls for honesty and integrity.

Last week, it gained 18 Emmy nominations, topped only by The Sopranos, with 22, and last year swept the board at the Emmys, America’s television Oscars, winning nine categories.

Janney, who plays White House press secretary CJ Cregg and Schiff, who plays chief-of-staff Toby Ziegler, both won Emmys last year as best supporting actress and actor for their parts.

The strike is the latest problem to hit the show, whose creator Aaron Sorkin was convicted of possession of cocaine and magic mushrooms earlier this year, prompting Sheen to threaten to quit the series.