ITV boss slams BBC stars' pay

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The broadcaster's Director of Entertainment and Comedy Paul Jackson said the corporation was behaving in a commercial manner.

His comments follow the leaking of several BBC salaries, with Jonathan Ross reported to be on an £18 million three-year TV and radio deal, Radio 2 host Terry Wogan on £800,000 and Chris Moyles on £630,000 for his Radio 1 breakfast show.

Mr Jackson admitted that the BBC did not top ITV's bid for Ross during a recent round of negotiations.

But he said: "His agent went openly to the two other broadcasters, and told everybody that he was doing that.

"As a result of that negotiation technique he managed to establish what the very top of the market could bear."

He added: "That's a hell of lot of grannies in Scunthorpe, grannies in Maida Vale paying their licence fees, that's a lot of licence fees.

"It's an extraordinary amount of money. You have to accept that the BBC is behaving in a very commercial way. Let's not pretend this is a public service thing.

"Is it proper for an organisation as big and powerful as the BBC to throw that kind of money into the marketplace?

"When the negotiations come up for people like Ant and Dec, Graham Norton for the BBC, Jeremy Paxman, Mark Austin all those people, the Jonathan Ross deal will be quoted. They are behaving in a very commercial manner."

Jackson also criticised Gordon Ramsay's Channel 4 show The F Word, following the chef's decision to sign a golden handcuffs deal with the broadcaster.

He said: "If he thought The F Word was the answer, I don't know what he thought the question was.

"It's a pile of poo," he said, adding that the show "injected a lot of Hell's Kitchen into the middle".

He added of Ramsay's decision to sign with Channel 4: "I was disappointed on a personal level because I have a very good relationship with him."

Mr Jackson said: "There's a perception in some quarters...that ITV is too downmarket.

"The up-market, smart Channel 4 survives on two shows that couldn't be more downmarket, Big Brother and Deal or No Deal.

"One is a freak show and the other is a very well constructed money show."
The ITV executive also revealed that singer Robbie Williams was keen to do another Soccer Aid for ITV.