BBC top 10 not good enough on diversity, says BBC boss

The lack of diversity in the top-10 list of highest-paid BBC stars means the BBC has more “work to do” on the issue, the boss of the broadcaster has admitted.

The list includes Gary Lineker, Zoe Ball, Graham Norton, Steve Wright and Huw Edwards.

Director-general Tim Davie said that 18% of all stars earning over £150,000 are from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, compared with 12% in 2016/17.

“We made good progress, if you look across the industry we’re in a good place, but we’ve got work to do,” he said.

Earlier this year the BBC announced it will set aside £100 million for “diverse and inclusive content” as part of its response to the killing in the US of George Floyd.

The sum, from its existing commissioning budget, will be spent on TV output across all areas, including children’s, education and current affairs, for three years from 2021/22.

Last month, then director-general Lord Hall apologised for a news report which contained a racist term

More than 18,000 people complained to the BBC over the broadcast, in which social affairs correspondent Fiona Lamdin repeated a racial slur allegedly used in a suspected racially-motivated attack in Bristol.