By Kate Holton and Paul Sandle
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's public broadcaster, the BBC, pays its top male star five times more than its best-paid female presenter, it revealed on Wednesday after bowing to the government's demand to publish the salaries of its highest earners.
Reaching 95 percent of British adults every week and a global audience of 372 million, the BBC is a prized national asset but faces intense scrutiny over spending as its funding comes from a fee levied on TV viewers.
Its list of on-air employees earning at least 150,000 pounds numbered 96 people, two-thirds of them men, most earning more than women doing similar work.
Highest paid was Chris Evans, the presenter of Britain's most popular breakfast radio show who also hosted motoring programme "Top Gear" for one series, receiving up to 2.25 million pounds in 2016/17.
The highest paid woman was entertainment presenter Claudia Winkleman, who earned less than half a million pounds for her work on "Strictly Come Dancing" and other shows.
Salaries paid to the BBC's top journalists showed a similar disparity, with a male news anchor earning around 200,000 pounds a year more than his female counterpart.
The BBC, which had not wanted to disclose information which it said would make it easier for rival broadcasters to poach talent, said it would close the gender gap by 2020.
Britain's longest serving female member of parliament, Harriet Harman of the opposition Labour Party, said the salary revelation was a chance to change things.
"I think it's very important that the lid has been lifted on this pay discrimination in the BBC and that it's been laid bare," she said.
"But I think that although everybody will think it's very unfair and outrageous, this is a moment now when it can be sorted out."
"WORTH EVERY PENNY"
The BBC was compelled to list the top salaries as part of its latest funding settlement with the government.
BBC Director General Tony Hall denied that the broadcaster was paying too much, citing the need to compete for the best people with the likes of ITV (LON:ITV), Sky, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN).
According to media reports, leading news anchors in the United States earn upwards of $10 million a year. Huw Edwards, who fronts the BBC's flagship nightly news programme, earned up to 600,000 pounds.
Hall said the BBC secured value for money because performers were drawn to the public broadcaster because of its reputation and audience reach.
"People do come and work here for a discount," he said.
Former football player Gary Lineker, presenter of "Match of the Day", has said he could have made more money working elsewhere. Number two on the list, he earned up to 1.8 million pounds.
The BBC's commercial rivals argue the 3.7 billion pounds licence fee it receives from viewers gives it an unfair advantage and distorts the market - a view shared by some members of Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government.
The corporation, which employs just over 21,000 people, said the number of on-air employees paid over 150,000 pounds a year had decreased from 109 a year ago.
Another BBC figure who appeared on the best paid list, World Affairs Editor John Simpson, accused the government of seeking to weaken the BBC by forcing it to publish sensitive information.
"Why does the government actively seek to damage the BBC, one of the few things the world admires about the UK at present, with this pointlessness?" he tweeted.
Novelist Philip Pullman said the criticism of the BBC had been driven by the owners and editors of the country's biggest newspapers, such as the Sun and Daily Mail.
"The fuss about BBC salaries is entirely and malevolently confected by (Rupert) Murdoch and (Daily Mail editor Paul) Dacre. A pox on them. The BBC is worth every penny."