It's Strictly no Brucie bonus – just a pay cut

Published on Friday 11 September 2009 22:05

STRICTLY Come Dancing presenter Bruce Forsyth has said he has taken a pay cut and backed a cap on entertainers' salaries.

The veteran entertainer said: "It's a good thing to cap the salaries, and I think it should have probably been done a long time ago."

He said he and other stars had accepted a pay cut with "goodwill, because these are very, very hard times".

Forsyth, 81, added: "We've always been overpaid, but it's the demand and what's available. It's like in the theatre that old saying – you only command a high salary if you can put bums on seats. So if you are in that position, that does give you the status of asking for big money."

But he said most performers and presenters understood that pay cuts were necessary.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Forsyth had agreed a 25 per cent cut when he signed up for a seventh series of Strictly as the BBC tried to slash its bill for "talent".

Earlier this week, presenter Graham Norton also said he thought presenters were overpaid, but said details should remain private.

He said: "I'm happy to admit we are paid too much, but why should people know the exact figures? We just don't talk about how much we're paid – I'm referring to people in general. Television pays big fees, some would say ridiculously big, but let's leave it there. Why go into the details? It's rude."

When contacted last night, Forsyth declined to discuss the story.

He said: "I'm going to Jimmy Tarbuck's 50th wedding anniversary, and I'm a bit late."

The BBC has been heavily criticised for not publishing individual stars' salaries, though it has promised to make public the total amount it spends and is making efforts to cut its "talent" bill.

In June, the corporation's top talent were told at a meeting to expect their pay to be slashed.

Jeremy Clarkson and Sir Terry Wogan were said to be among about 100 famous presenters at the gathering. It is reported that for some highly-paid stars, the salary reduction could be as much as 40 per cent.

A spokeswoman said the BBC did not comment on individual pay, but added: "Our artists and presenters are at the heart of the programmes and services that BBC audiences love and value.

"We remain sensitive to the public's view that we should not pay more than is necessary, and we are committed to even greater transparency and accountability to licence-fee payers.

"We have begun to reduce the amount we pay top stars, and in future we will disclose the total amount we spend on talent each year, while maintaining appropriate confidentiality."