Public pays for BBC chief's flight

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The claims included more than £2,000 to fly director general Mark Thompson's family home from holiday in the wake of the Andrew Sachs row.

The salaries of the BBC's 50 top-earning managers were also disclosed - and showed 27 earn more than the Prime Minister's £195,000 salary.

Responding to numerous inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act and general calls for greater transparency, the corporation published thousands of claims, revealing executives spent public money on luxury hotels, vintage champagne, "thank you" dinners, parties and even a private aeroplane.

Among the £363,085.29 worth of claims filed between 2004 and 2009 were a £100 bottle of bubbly for Bruce Forsyth's 80th birthday, a £1,000 dinner to celebrate Sir Terry Wogan's knighthood and a £400 cake.

Mr Thompson spent £2,236.90 of licence fee payers' money to fly his family home from a holiday in Italy when he was forced to cut the trip short as public anger grew over the lewd messages left by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross on the Fawlty Towers actor's answering machine.

The BBC said the Thompson family were flown economy class and the corporation's audit committee approved the expense. On the same day - October 30 last year - Mr Thompson also claimed £500 for hotel rooms in the towns of Siracusa and Ragusa in Sicily and a further £206 for what is described in the accompanying notes as "holiday cut short".

In total, Mr Thompson, who earns £647,000 a year, claimed £77,823.35 in expenses over the five years - the most of any BBC executive.

Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision, who holds creative control of the corporation's television output, claimed a total of just under £60,000 over the period. This included a £500 claim for the theft of her handbag while on official business, though the BBC said this was paid by the corporation's insurance policy.

Caroline Thomson, the BBC's chief operating officer, told the BBC News channel she was "comfortable" with all of the claims. She said the details were published after 38 FOI requests were made about expenses but insisted there was no "arm twisting".