Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat Criticize Release of BBC Stars’ Salary Info
By David Hill
Ever wonder what the stars of Doctor Who make for a salary? Well, a proposed clause for the charter for the BBC would cause that knowledge to be a part of the public record, albeit for questionable reasons.
Life in the spotlight can have its advantages. Chances are, that celebrity leads to quite the solid payday, and the perks of being famous cannot be argued. The ability to get into almost anywhere just because of your name, and being in demand, could almost make up for some of the drawbacks of that popularity. We recently shared an article discussing what Doctor Who stars make at conventions, alone.
When in the spotlight, however, every aspect of a celebrity’s life becomes a matter of conversation. That is especially the case with one’s salary, where the price of stardom becomes rather intrusive. And now, with a new clause in the BBC’s Royal Charter mandating that it must disclose how much its top-priced talent is making, that cost of stardom is hitting close to home for Doctor Who alumni Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat.
Yes, the BBC is run by the government. And yes, the general public has a right to know what the costs associated would be, given that it is a public entity. On the other hand, this is going far beyond freedom of information, and, as Capaldi said, appears to be yet another attack on the channel.
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Indeed, with this level of scrutiny, it does appear to be nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to remove further funding from a network that some within the British government want to see dismantled. There have already been layoffs as they look to downsize the workforce there. And in looking to publish salaries, they may make it virtually impossible for the channel to compete with other networks for talent.
These attacks are getting to the point of ridiculousness. Of all of the government agencies that exist, the BBC does a pretty solid job of controlling costs and even turning a profit. Instead of pointing the finger at something that provides so much joy for the multitudes, why not take a look at those agencies that are essentially redundant and are nothing more than financial sinkholes?
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