LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 10: Police cordon off area at BBC Broadcasting House on June 10, 2015 in London, England. Police detained a man holding a lighter outside BBC Broadcasting House after eye witnesses said he poured petrol over himself and threatened to set himself on fire. (Photo by Neil P. Mockford/Getty Images)
The BBC increased its workforce in 2014/15 and paid more to its staff, including its most famous faces, according to its annual report.
Director-general Tony Hall has pledged to save £50 million by cutting layers of management at the corporation, but its workforce rose from 18,647 to 18,974 people from 2013/14 to 2014/15 and it paid out £976.5 million in wages – up from £955 million in 2014.
The BBC, which is in the middle of its Delivering Quality First efficiency drive which it says has saved £484 million this year, saw its bill for on-screen talent rise from £194 million to £208 million.
The amount of people earning more than £500,000 a year fell from 14 individuals to nine, but the amount paid out to the top earners who take home more than £1 million a year has gone up from £4.2 million to £5.1 million.
That group is thought to include famous faces such as Graham Norton and Gary Lineker.
The BBC did cut the amount paid out to talent earning between £500,000 and £750,000, from £6.5 million to £2.9 million.
The report also showed audience appreciation was down for the BBC’s online services and TV channels, but up for radio.
