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Graham Norton: Unless BBC finds oil my salary will be cut
By Georgina Littlejohn, London Lite Last updated at 13:13pm on 30.09.09Graham Norton revealed today he fully expects his pay to be cut by the BBC.
The TV presenter's chat show The Graham Norton Show was recently moved from BBC2 to BBC1 and will start its sixth series on Monday.
Reports suggest Norton's salary will be cut by 20 per cent to £2m a year, making him one of many BBC presenters to see pay slashed.
Prime Timer: Graham Norton's chat show starts its sixth series on BBC1 on Monday
Norton, 46, said: “Unless the BBC finds oil, I fully expect my pay to be cut. Either I refuse to work for less and they tell me to bog off or I go OK' and work.”
But he said it was “not right” for presenters' salaries to be made public knowledge. He said: “When it comes to specifically how much I earn, I prefer that to stay private.”
And he said he didn't think any presenters were overpaid, adding: “There is one Jonathan Ross and however much they paid him he was worth that to the Corporation in that moment.”
He was speaking as it was revealed he had been given an official warning over a homophobic joke on his show in March, when he showed a picture of a woman with a product and said: “I don't know why they've got some strange lesbian to be the model.”
The Beeb said Norton needed “to avoid any possibility of being seen to endorse offensive stereotypes”
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Reader views (10)
Oil of Ulay is on par with your entertainment worth at the BBC, zilch in laymans terms.
- William, Hay~Heath UK
Alan Davies, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton and all the other excessively overpayed at the BBC . You've displayed so much spoilt complaining and poor me attitudes because you're taking much deserved salary cuts. The audiences and public are sickened by the selfishness. All of you have not one, but multiple shows, so the greed is baffling. It's not schadenfreude or envy, but like the MP expenses, you don't seem to realise that the financial disasters this last year has left people and families with very real problems. Minus jobs and homes and prospects. Don't push your luck - or the public's patience?
Even if public licence fee money was there to spare, a growing majority would rather see money going into producing good quality, creatively produced programmes than the diet of lazy, unimaginative repetitive programmes we're endlessly being fed. The audience is tiring of the same old same old and jobs for the boys.
- Peter, London
You all sound very bitter and jealous. Whilst I am no massive fan of Graham Norton, you underestimate the difficulties of presenting. It's not all about just standing there and jabbering. If any of you did it we'd all switch off after 2 seconds. You need a certain character and temperament, and their shows are obviously liked because people watch them in their droves and it brings in millions for the beeb. Of course the money they're paid is obscene in many ways, but at the top of any profession pay can seem obscene. And like it or not, they're at the top.
- James, London
Where's he gonna go if the BBC make a 90% pay cut? The stage? Now that is hard work for a performer.
The ITV/Channel 4? They are haemorghing money hand over fist. Cable TV? Check out Richard and Judy.. they faded faster than a shirt from Primark..!
If I worked for the Beeb, I'd cut a better deal than 2 million pound for a guy whose every third word was 'erm'...
- Paul, Bromley, Kent
BBC,l Local Councils,City Hall,Politicians, National Rail,full of Bureaucrats on over inflated salaries at the Tax Payers expense ,
Any specific reason why these people join these corporations
- Barry Deane, Richmond, United Kingdom
Rubbish and irritating on Father Ted then got worse.GO AWAY.YOU ARE NOT FUNNY.
- Alan., Wimbledon
Like the housing values, a lot of Britain's TV personalities are over-valued - and over-paid. Loadsa money and loadsa credit floating around for a while meant a lot of silly salaries being paid out. Some no doubt, took these as straight faced, serious evaluations of their worth. With their waving palms agents seductively whispering in their ears, 'because you're worth it!. Graham, Jonathan and the rest of the free-loaders - the gravy train ran out of juice. Be thankful you got a share of the wealthy, free ride for the duration.
- Lisa, London
Oh for goodness sake Graham - you should be glad you're getting a salary at all - you're really NOT that good!
- Lorraine, London
its been downhill since he appeared in father ted .i would not pay him in washers let alone money
- Anon, leicestershire
If your salary gets cut it will only be falling in line with the flippin rest of us
suffering!
- Sylvia Higginson, Manchester
