If there's one thing we love here in Ireland it's having a good old gossip about how much we pay our TV presenters, but it seems as though Pat Kenny and co are all trying to keep up with expat BAFTA winning BBC host Graham Norton.
As per The Guardian, the TV and radio presenter nabbed around £2.5 million in fees and salaries last year, with £1 million coming courtesy of his BBC salary. That covers his appearances as host of BBC1's super successful Graham Norton Show, and his Saturday slot on BBC Radio 2. He works hard for his money, no doubt about that.
Believe it or not, Norton's earnings pale in comparison to what some of the top talent at the British public broadcasting powerhouse get. Some stars can bank up to £5 million for their services at the Beeb.Of course, the UK's population is far greater than ours, so the amounts are all relative, but that doesn't mean the broadcaster won't come under fire for paying high wages.
Much like RTE, the BBC came under enormous pressure to reduce the fees paid to top talent, but that didn't exactly go to plan. The broadcaster only managed to cut two stars from it's top talent bracket, bringing the talent salary bill down by £3 million per year. That would be great, if the bill wasn't still £200 million when they were done.
Now where have we heard that story before, hmm? Do you think Graham is worth £1 million? Let us know below.
