Lord Baker couldn’t work out how to stop his mobile phone ringing during his interview last night. In the end after the fourth time he handed it to Victoria Derbyshire to deal with. We’ve all had it happen…

The BBC today published its annual report, including the salaries of all earners over £150,000. Listed below are the politicos and other highest earners, with a percentage change on their figures from last year. Despite the supposed need for cutbacks, a lot of the figures appear to have remained very stable… 

Today

• Mishal Husain – £279,999 (NC)
• Nick Robinson – £274,999 (NC)
• Justin Webb – £259,999 (NC)
• Martha Kearney – £259,999 (+2%)

World at One

• Sarah Montague – £249,999 (NC)

PM

• Evan Davis – £274,999 (NC)

BBC Breakfast

• Naga Munchetty – £369,999 (+42%)
• Dan Walker – £224,999 (-25%)
• Charlie Stayt – £194,999 (NC)

BBC News at Six and Ten

• Huw Edwards – £414,999 (-3.5%)
• Gerge Alagiah – £329,999 (NC)
• Sophie Rayworth – £309,999  (+8.7%)

Question Time

• Fiona Bruce – £414,999 (+1.2%)

Andrew Marr Show

• Andrew Marr – £269,999 (-21%)

Newsnight

• Emily Maitlis – £329,999 (NC)
• Kirsty Wark – £249,999 (+16%)

BBC News

• Clive Myrie – £259,999 (+24%)
• Reeta Chakrabarti – £204,999 (+14%)
• Victoria Derbyshire – £244,999 (+40%)
• Ben Brown – £174,999 (NC)

On-air editors and correspondents

• Amol Rajan – £329,999 (+35%)
• Faisal Islam – £244,999 (+17%)
• Jeremy Bowen – £234,999 (+4.5%)
• Jon Sopel – £229,999 (-2.1%)
• Katya Adler – £219,999 (-2.2%)

Non-politics or news

• Gary Lineker – £1,350,000 (-0.7%)
• Zoe Ball – £980,000 (-14%)
• Steve Wright – £454,999 (-3.2%)
• Alan Shearer – £454,999 (+15%)
• Stephen Nolan – £420,000 (-2.4%)

Guido congratulates Amol Rajan and Clive Myrie for their wage hikes, while both Naga and Faisal Islam have seen theirs rise significantly for the second year in a row. Victoria Derbyshire is also a big winner, with her pay rising significantly even before she takes over at Newsnight. Gary Lineker will no doubt be distraught at both his £10,000 cut and the BBC’s failure to close the gender pay gap, which increased to 5.1%. The cost of living crisis must really sting on £1,350,000…

Read the full report here.

The BBC has announced that veteran presenter Victoria Derbyshire is taking over as lead presenter of Newsnight, after Emily Maitlis jumped ship to LBC earlier this year. Derbyshire will present the show along with existing Newsnight regular Kirsty Walk from September. 

Announcing the move this morning, Derbyshire said:

“I am so delighted to be joining the legend that is Kirsty Wark and the talented Newsnight team under new and ambitious leadership. This is a special opportunity to take on one of the best jobs in British journalism and help shape the programme’s future. I can’t wait to champion more stories about people’s lives while holding those who represent them to account.”

There were rumours Derbyshire was in talks to join in the BBC’s brain drain and head to Channel 4, so it looks like she’s been thrown a bone here. Guido looks forward to seeing her pay rise in the next BBC annual audit…

First Steve Bray showed up, then she dropped her phone, then her earpiece fell out, then she forgot her phone’s pin code, then she begged her colleague to hold her umbrella, all live on air. Somebody get her a coffee…

This morning, Victoria Derbyshire was shamed into apologising for confessing her plans to break current Covid restrictions at Christmas by having 7 people at her family gathering. The comments came in this week’s Radio Times, when she let slip:

“If the rule of six is still in place at Christmas, we’re breaking it to have the rule of seven. We just are. Joining me, my husband and our two boys will be my mum, her partner and my husband’s dad. It’s fine. We’ll do it knowing what the risks are.

We’re not stupid. We’re going to be sensible and buy a thermometer gun. But we have to be together at Christmas. It feels almost irresponsible saying that, but I don’t think we’re alone in feeling that way. We need to see my elderly mum and my husband’s elderly dad. We just do.”

This morning – no doubt under pressure from above – Victoria performed a U-turn, tweeting that her comments had been a “hypothetical” breaching the Rule of Six in a “Tier One area (medium)“. She went on to say “We’ll of course continue to follow whatever rules are in place on Dec 25th”…

I talked about my mum, her partner & my dad-in-law spending it with us – making seven in our home in a Tier One area (medium). It was hypothetical – however I was totally wrong to say it & I’m sorry. We’ll of course continue to follow whatever rules are in place on Dec 25th 2/2

— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) October 27, 2020

From what Guido can tell, Victoria’s completely in-touch with a nation growing tired of restrictions. While it’s clear the country supports measures in the round, people have become increasingly at ease with gently bending them around the edges. It is a shame to see the BBC covering up a real representative view…

Clearly Victoria is keen to avoid another one of Guido’s Expert Activist investigations. Guido would prefer this to be the rule rather than the exception…