BBC director general Tony Hall has hinted at slashing the salaries of its male stars.
This week, Hall attended a meeting with Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, alongside BBC chairman David Clementi and deputy director general Anne Bulford.
During the meeting, Hall hinted that work to close the substantial gender pay gap – first highlighted when the wages of the BBC's top-earning stars and staff members were revealed in an its first annual report in July this year – was "already under way" (via The Hollywood Reporter).
He also promised salary figures next year would "look very different", said tackling the pay gap was his "personal priority" and reiterated the BBC's commitment to close the pay gap by 2020.
Oh, and then he hinted this could be achieved by reducing the salary of some male stars if they are seen as being overpaid.
"We have tight budgets, and we want to make sure we do what is right," Hall said.
"But also, we've got to recognise that we have limited funds to deal with these issues.
"I absolutely can't tell you now what the figure is going to be that we disclose in our annual report for next year, but I am determined to both get the issues we need to tackle right and also to make sure that we get the right balance of pay for our key presenters."
Hall's comments come after the BBC's first annual report disclosing the wages of its top-earning stars was published in July this year, revealing a substantial gender pay gap and a lot of disparities between the pay of its highest earning male and female talent and staff respectively.
For example, BBC Radio 2 DJ and former Top Gear host Chris Evans earned a salary between £2.2m and £2.25m in 2016/2017, while the BBC's highest earning female celebrity Claudia Winkleman only earned between £450,000 and £500,000.
