Jeremy Clarkson is reported to have earned more than £3million from his role in the show Top Gear last year. If these reports are true, it makes Clarkson the highest paid actor of the BBC.
Aside from his £3million salary from the motoring show, Clarkson also earns dividends from his co-ownership shares in BBC Worldwide. Recent reports say his dividends increased from £6million to £9million.
His status as BBC’s biggest earner was revealed when BBC released figures that showed their top six performers on £1million-plus deals. His income, however, is not from the license fee but from a commercial deal.
So far, this means Jeremy earns a net of £2.7million from his dividends, a services fee of £350,000, a BBC talent fee of £500,000. In sum, this means he earns potentially around £3.5million.
His closest rivals include Gary Lineker of Match of the Day, earning around £2million per year, and Graham Norton, who earns upward of £1.5million.
Other stars close to the top of the list that BBC revealed include Alan Hansen and Chris Evans, who both earn more or less £1million.
The annual report from BBC also showed that 16 stars earn around £500,000. The number went down from 19 in 2010/2011.
This is backed by a subsequent drop in the overall talent bill, which shrunk from £212million to a more manageable £203million.