TALK OF THE TOWN: Give Beeb’s bully stars a pay cut, says angry Clare Balding

TALK OF THE TOWN: Clare Balding calls for pay cuts for bullying BBC stars and says highly paid presenters should be given Uber-style politeness ratings

Clare, 48, who has hosted six Olympic Games and five Paralympics, thinks that behind-the-scenes workers should be able to give highly paid presenters and actors an Uber-style rating based on how polite they are

Feisty BBC presenter Clare Balding has hit out at arrogant stars who bully other staff at the Corporation – and come up with a fascinating scheme to stop them in their tracks.

Clare, 48, who has hosted six Olympic Games and five Paralympics, thinks that behind-the-scenes workers should be able to give highly paid presenters and actors an Uber-style rating based on how polite they are.

And celebrities who fail to get a good enough score should then have their pay slashed.

She recommends that, rather than asking executives such as editors and directors for their views on star performers, staff such as make-up artists and sound engineers should have a say about the way they’re treated.

When asked if she thought that BBC presenters shouldn’t be making the vast amounts they do if they behave badly, Clare, right, let rip. She said: ‘Absolutely. I think we should do an Uber rating from everyone who works on production because those jobs are anonymous.

‘I think what tends to happen is people who most need the job are least likely to complain and they are the ones bullies will target.

‘You need to be talking to make-up artists, to sound engineers.

‘If you want a proper picture of how someone is to work with, you don’t just talk to the editor, director and producer, because the presenter can be nice as pie to them. I’m just amazed that somebody can get a reputation, whether they are on TV, film or radio, that they are a ratings pull and therefore anything they do is acceptable.’

Clare, who was the lead presenter for the London 2012 Olympics, picked out her late friend Terry Wogan and gardener Alan Titchmarsh, saying they were the type of TV host who deserved to be well rewarded because they are ‘really lovely’.

She said: ‘I’d hold people up like Terry and Alan, real pros, really lovely, fabulous people and if you had done Uber ratings with Terry he would have got five stars every time from everybody. That’s the kind of behaviour that should be rewarded.

‘If those lists of salaries come out and Terry Wogan is on ten times as much as everyone else, I don’t mind. I want people to get bonuses for good behaviour.’

In July 2017, under its new Royal charter, the BBC was ordered to publish a list of all employees who earned more than £150,000.

The 12 highest earners were men, including Gary Lineker (£1.75million), Chris Evans (£1.6million), Graham Norton (£600,000) and Steve Wright (£550,000).

Freelance Clare’s BBC pay packet for 2017-2018 came to £180,000.

I’d advise Strictly star Katya Jones to avoid the Jonathan Ross TV show this week. Seann Walsh, her dance partner in the last series, is due to be a guest and is expected to talk about their dalliance and THAT kiss. 

Comedian Seann, 33, will record the ITV show on Thursday to promote his upcoming UK stand-up tour. ‘There’s no way Jonathan is going to let him get away with not talking about it,’ says my source.

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