BBC salaries: Scottish stars among those earning over £150k

A number of Scottish presenters are among the list of BBC stars earning over £150,000 a year who have their salaries revealed today.

TV preesnter Andrew Marr. Picture: Neil Hanna

The Conservative Government compelled the publicly-funded corporation to reveal those earning more than the Prime Minister as part of a transparency drive.

Eyebrows were immediately raised at some of the salary information, which showed Top Gear and Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans was the highest paid at the BBC.

There was also criticism of the corporation for the massive discrepancy in pay between the top-paid male and female stars.

Here are just some of the details of the corporation’s stars from Scotland who made the list.

Andrew Marr: £400,000 - £449,000

The BBC released the salaries in £50,000 increments, so we don’t know exactly how much Glasgow-born Andrew Marr earns.

Formerly of the Scotsman, the political expert is the frontman for the BBC’s flagship weekend politics show, which bears his name.

While the salary is more than some of his fellow news and political presenters, it is worth noting that Marr also produces documentaries for the BBC.

Nicky Campbell: £400,000 - £449,000

The joint highest Scot on the list alongside his compatriot Marr, Nicky Campbell, from Edinburgh, was perhaps best known during his stint at the helm of Watchdog.

He follows Marr on Sunday mornings and presents the faith and religion show ‘The Big Questions’, which tackles matter of theology and philosophy, as well as current affairs.

Campbell also presents the breakfast show on BBC Radio 5 Live, which is attempting to challenge Radio 4’s Today as the most-listened to news-based morning show.

Eddie Mair: £300,000 - £349,000

Eddie Mair, who started his career in a number of roles on BBC Radio Scotland, is still best known for his radio news presenting.

Although he occasionally stands in for presenters, including Marr, on television, his work for Radio 4’s PM programme sees him pull in hundreds of thousands of listeners.

Born and raised in Dundee, Mair has twice ‘gone viral’ in recent years for forensic questioning of Boris Johnson, first calling him a ‘nasty piece of work’ on TV then in the aftermath of last month’s election accusing him of behaving like a “Two Ronnies” character.

Andrew Neil: £200,000 - £249,000

The fiery Paisley local is well-known for his aggressive interview style, and it was an open secret that former Prime Minister David Cameron would never consent to a one-on-one with the ex-Scotsman Editor-in-Chief.

He currently presents the Daily and Sunday Politics shows on the BBC, the former alongside Jo Coburn, who was not featured on the list.

Neil also presents This Week on Thursday evenings, but is not tied down to the BBC, working a number of other roles including as Chairman of the publisher of The Spectator.

Laura Kuenssberg: £200,000 - £249,00

The BBC’s political editor was used by many this morning as an example of the discrepancy in pay between some presenters.

Ms Kuenssberg, who was born abroad but grew up in Glasgow, is a controversial figure and at the centre of any number of ongoing debates about BBC bias.

A BBC Trust ruling earlier this year charged the former Newsnight presenter with being inaccurate in a report about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

A recent report claimed that Ms Kuennsberg was given a bodyguard after relentless online abuse led to concerns for her safety.

Ken Bruce: £250,000 - £299,000

The ubiquitous voice of Radio 2 in mid-mornings, Glasgow’s Ken Bruce has been in that slot for well over twenty years.

His legendary ‘Popmasters’ quiz is one of the hardest phone-in quizzes on air, and Bruce is showing no signs of slowing down aged 66.

Peter Capaldi: £200,000 - £249,000

A relatively modest salary for the Doctor Who actor, who earns significantly less than TV mainstay Derek Thompson, who earns between £250,000 and £299,000 for his role as Charlie Fairhead on Casualty.

With questions being raised over discrepancies among men and women at the BBC, all eyes will be on future releases to see whether new Doctor Jodie Whittaker is paid the same as the former Thick of It star.