Countryfile’s Anita Rani insists BBC pay gap is about race as well as gender: ‘There’s a lot of work to be done’

The presenter is "disappointed" that only 10 of the 96 people earning over £150,000 were from ethnic minorities
'Disappointed': Anita Rani thinks that the BBC pay gap is about race as well as gender
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
Jennifer Ruby4 August 2017
The Weekender

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Anita Rani has claimed that the BBC pay gap is about race and class as well as gender, insisting that there is “a lot of work” to be done.

The Countryfile presenter said that it was “disappointing” to see that only 10 of the 96 people earning over £150,000 were from ethnic minorities.

“It's difficult for everybody but, for me, as much as it's about gender I think it's about race and it's about class,” she told Press Association.

“I think this is the beginning of a big shift and a change, which is a good thing.”

BBC Pay roll - in pictures

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Rani admitted that she wasn’t surprised by the fact that two thirds of the highest-paid stars were male, but was still found the revelation upsetting.

“Knowing something intellectually and seeing it on paper are always two very different things, it was disappointing,” she said.

Speaking to the Sun, Rani said: “I will say that for me there’s a race gap and a gender gap. For me the issue is we need to focus on race and gender. There’s a lot of work to be done.

“I know that they’re working hard to address the balance but I think race needs to be addressed equally as well as gender.”

Stars at the top end of the list include Chris Evans, Jeremy Vine, Gary Lineker and Graham Norton, while Claudia Winkleman is the highest-paid female star.

Non-white stars to be paid over £150,000 include Jason Mohammad, George Alagiah and Trevor Nelson.

Following the publication of the list, the BBC said: “On gender and diversity, the BBC is more diverse than the broadcasting industry and the civil service.

“We have set the most stretching targets in the industry for on-air diversity and we’ve made progress, but we recognise there is more to do and we are pushing further and faster than any other broadcaster.”

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