UK NEWS

WOGAN'S £1,477 AN HOUR

CHARITY FEE: Host Sir Terry

Monday June 4,2007

By Nick Fagge

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(20)

Sir Terry Wogan received over £10,000 for hosting TV’s Children in Need appeal show last year, the BBC admitted yesterday.

The veteran broadcaster was criticised in March when it emerged he was the only celebrity to be paid for his part in the 2005 nationwide charity appeal.

Now the BBC has been forced to reveal under the Freedom of Information Act that the Radio 2 DJ made £10,340 for the 2006 show.

His fee works out at £1,477 an hour and is a 14 per cent rise on the £9,065 he made from the 2005 programme.

This is on top of the £800,000 salary Sir Terry, 68, earns for his two-hour daily Radio 2 slot Wake Up To Wogan.

The BBC, which revealed that his co-presenters, Natasha Kaplinsky and Fearne Cotton, were not paid, said it felt it was “appropriate” to pay Sir Terry a “non-commercial fee”. It had been paid since 1980 and an adjustment was made every year to reflect inflation.

The fee was paid by the BBC “and not by the Children in Need charity”.

Last night BBC bosses defended Wogan’s £10,000 “honorarium”.

They described the fee as a “production cost” and a spokeswoman said it was also in recognition of the “charitable work” Sir Terry did throughout the year. But critics said the disclosure was further evidence of the BBC’s “free-spending largess”.

Blair Gibbs, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Viewers will wonder whether they are funding a public service or a celebrity lifestyle.”

He added that Wogan should not forget that the taxpayer pays his generous salary through the “anachronistic” licence fee.

Children in Need said Sir Terry made regular unpaid appearances for the charity and it was grateful for his commitment and popularity which played a vital role in its fundraising.

AND ANOTHER THING

05.06.07, 6:25pm

Thought I would mention,I do in fact donate to air ambulance and RNLI,I consider these to be very worthy causes.

• Posted by: rozipoz • Report Comment

WOGAN IS NOT ALONE.

05.06.07, 6:21pm

I don't and won't give to charity,it's all a big scam.
Almost all of money donated goes to pay directors salaries , expenses and flash cars.
Look what happed when the mobile letterbox addressed the cancer research charity,they gave her £100,000.
Is that what people have donated their hard earned cash for?so that a greedy freeloader can make another trip to the bank.

• Posted by: rozipoz • Report Comment

WOGANS £1.477 AN HOUR

05.06.07, 5:15pm

Disgusting Wogan you are down and out in my estimation, what a pity like the others you should not have taken payment. greedy totally out of order.

• Posted by: netts • Report Comment

BBC SCANDAL

05.06.07, 11:46am

Yeah, but it's okay if your the likes of Wogan. "Legalised Crooks" who wish to appear doing the right thing, but in fact they just take via the backdoor and hope no one notices. Me, Myself and I - LOOK = http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/55878152/.

• Posted by: byteback • Report Comment

EXPLOITATION

05.06.07, 9:11am

This article clearly demonstrates exploitation of those vulnerable in society:( Wogan isn't the only one, look at all charities and such like, the footman does the work for nothing and the likes of Wogan creme-off the top. Shelter, is another good course, but again the students, managers and directors are doing very nice thank you.

The word "Charity" becoming a dirty word:(

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=NickisPlight

• Posted by: nickisplight • Report Comment