Four female BBC News presenters have commenced legal action against the UK broadcaster, arguing they were forced off air for a year and harassed as a result of a “rigged” recruitment process.
16.04.2024 - 11:49 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC wants to overhaul how it awards salary rises to its highest-paid employees and presenters, Deadline understands.
Sources said the British broadcaster wants to stop top earners from receiving automatic annual pay increases and instead hand them raises based on their performance.
The BBC wants to make the change as it grapples with a £90M ($112M) gap in its finances following its 2023 license fee settlement, but is mindful of squeezing pay in a way that makes it less attractive to new talent.
Some BBC executives and presenters already receive performance-related salary increases, but the corporation wants to move so-called “Band F” staffers (those who earn between £64,103 and £117,523) into the same bracket.
The BBC attempted to make the change as part of 2024 pay talks with Bectu and the National Union of Journalists, but the unions rejected the plan and want more clarity on how performance will be measured.
“It’s quite a massive proposal,” said a source familiar with the talks. “The unions have misgivings about taking people out of collective pay bargaining.”
As part of the talks, the BBC agreed a minimum pay rise of 3% for the majority of employees, which will take effect in August. UK inflation currently stands at 3.4% and the government wants to drive it down further.
The BBC will revisit the performance-related pay proposal next year, with further conversations set to take place with union officials in the coming months.
The change could potentially impact more than 1,000 employees. The BBC has 124 senior leaders who earn between £50,000 and £150,000 a year. Some 1,163 on-screen stars take home between £40,000 and £150,000.
BBC executive leaders and presenters who earn more than £178,000 are
Four female BBC News presenters have commenced legal action against the UK broadcaster, arguing they were forced off air for a year and harassed as a result of a “rigged” recruitment process.
The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the State Pension currently provides regular financial support for nearly 12.7 million older people across the country, including over one million retirees living in Scotland. This payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is currently 66 for men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.
Alien Ant Farm have announced a joint headline tour with CKY, which will come with a £1 ticket levy to help support grassroots venues. Find ticket details below.The announcement of the upcoming 2024 shows comes on the heels of California nu-metal band sharing ‘~mAntras~’ last week – marking their first new album in nearly a decade.Set to kick off towards the beginning of November, the shows will see frontman Dryden Mitchell and co.
Eagle-eyed royal fans have wondered if Prince Harry has given a subtle snub to his father this week as he handed out an award to an American soldier and wore a selection of medals, but not the one marking his father's coronation. The Duke of Sussex wore four medals on his jacket as he made a speech outside of his Montecito home to combat medic Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks, who won Military Times Soldier of the Year.Three of those medals marked his late grandmother's various Jubilees this century.
Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events SPOILER ALERT: This article contains plot details for “Challengers,” now playing in theaters. Josh O’Connor never had a churro until he shot “Challengers.” The British actor and his co-star Mike Faist enjoy the fried doughy treat in one of the film’s most suggestive scenes. In short, Patrick (O’Connor) is visiting his girlfriend Tashi (Zendaya) and his best friend Art (Faist) at Stanford when the two young men catch up in a cafeteria. They’re sitting face-to-face as they devour the churros.
Prince Harry has confirmed he will return to the UK in just over a week’s time to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which he founded.
Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty are bringing a touch of California sunshine to their £5 million London home, aiming for an LA-style mansion transformation.The pair, who wed in 2012 and share two kids, recently relocated from the US back to the UK, with Cat stepping into Holly Willoughby's shoes on This Morning. Cat joined forces with Ben Shephard on the hit ITV daytime show last month after leaving her role on the American hit show, So You Think You Can Dance? to become the new female face of This Morning.
Prince Harry has been cruelly trolled over wearing his Army and Royal Family medals in an appearance at a US soldier award ceremony. Harry, 39, made a speech that he filmed outside his home in Montecito, California, to honour US combat medic Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks as the winner of the Military Times' Soldier of the Year award.
A previously lost 12-string acoustic guitar that belonged to the late John Lennon will go up for sale at an auction in May after it was recently found in the attic of a home in Britain.The auctioneers said Lennon played the guitar, which is expected to exceed its estimate of $600,000 to $800,000, on the Beatles’ 1965 album “Help!”The guitar was lying in an attic and was rediscovered by the current owners during a house move.The founders of US-based Julien’s Auctions said they traveled to Britain to verify the guitar and found the original case – a Maton Australian-made guitar case – in the trash.Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, told Reuters the owners knew they had the instrument at one point, but thought it had been lost.The guitar is believed to have ended up in their hands through British musician Gordon Waller, a member of the 1960s pop duo Peter and Gordon.“Gordon was gifted it from John Lennon, then Gordon gifted it to his road manager, and that’s where the guitar stayed for all these years,” Nolan said.The guitar will be auctioned on May 29 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York and on the auctioneer’s website.Earlier this year, a stolen Hofner bass guitar belonging to Paul McCartney was found and returned to Lennon’s fellow Beatle after 51 years following a global hunt.Musical instruments belonging to prominent members of the Beatles have fetched a high price at previous auction.In 2015, a guitar stolen from Lennon in the 1960s sold for $2.41 million at an auction in California.
BBC have promised that Sam Smith‘s upcoming Proms performance will be “entirely appropriate” after their past ‘Satanic’ backlash.Smith has been announced as a headline act for this year’s BBC Proms on August 2 under their expanding pop programme. They will perform their 2014 debut album ‘In The Lonely Hour’ in its entirety.
Hunter Ingram SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the entire first season of “Dead Boy Detectives,” now streaming on Netflix. A good friend answers when you call. A best friend goes to literal Hell to save you from a giant spider made of charred doll parts stalking you through the halls of an eternal nightmare. And there is no better friend in this world or the next than Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri).
Prince Harry is said to be considering cancelling his upcoming visit to the UK over security concerns.The 39 year old Duke of Sussex was due to be visiting the UK - his former home country - in May to celebrate ten years of his sporting event, the Invictus Games, which he set up for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. During his trip to the UK, Harry was due to give a speech at St Paul's Cathedral, however, since losing his High Court battle against the UK Home Office regarding the security provided to him and his family when they are in the UK, the Duke is thought to be concerned for his safety.
Kate Garraway halted proceedings during Friday's airing of Good Morning Britain to share some startling "breaking news" with viewers.
The Cult have announced details of a UK tour, which will celebrate their 40th year as a band. Find upcoming dates and ticket details below.Announced today (April 16), the shows are set for later this year and will see the iconic ‘80s rock group perform in 10 cities across the country.
Pierce Brosnan And Amir El-Masry have signed on to star in the sports drama Giant from AGC Studios about the life of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags-to-riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are said to be "planning their escape route" back to the UK amid a high-profile lawsuit brought by The Heritage Foundation in Washington DC who are investigating the duke's drug use that he confessed to in his tell-all memoir.
Don’t miss out on the chance to bag your supermarket essentials absolutely free of charge in our fantastic competition to win a £100 shopping voucher.
One Day, is set to join the cast of Bridget Jones 4.After three successful movie adaptations of the novels by Helen Fielding, a fourth film is about to begin production, according to the BBC.Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson are all due to reprise their roles in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, which is scheduled for a US release on February 14 2025. A date for UK release hasn’t yet been announced.The book on which the film will be based was originally published in 2013, and rejoins the beloved protagonist as she navigates her 50s as a widowed mother to two, following the death of Mark Darcy, who was played by Colin Firth in the previous films.Firth won’t be appearing in the fourth film, with Fielding reportedly writing Mark’s landmine-caused death into the story because she didn’t want Bridget to become a “smug married” type.Fans of the franchise will be pleased to see Grant reprising his role as the womanising antagonist Daniel Cleaver, who skipped out on the third film, Bridget Jones’ Baby.
It's official, the new payment rates for disability-related benefits are now in effect, with millions of people set to benefit from an increase in their monthly payments of around 6.7 per cent. These apply to Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance.
Bridget Jones is back, with a fourth film confirmed to be in the making. Renée Zellweger will return as the titular character, Bridget Jones, and there are even more familiar faces joining the cast. One Day star Leo Woodall (who plays Dexter Mayhew in the series) will be joining the sequel, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.