The BBC sisterhood has made the ultimate sacrifice – and asked for a pay rise

The sisterhood is, apparently, ‘in full flow’ at the BBC. Since the publication last week of the salaries of its 96 highest paid presenters, discussion of the institution’s gender pay gap has filled air time and column inches. How can it be right that Clare Balding is paid less than Gary Lineker? Or that John Humphrys earns more than Sarah Montague?

But if being paid less than their male colleagues wasn’t bad enough, female presenters must, it seems, also use their ‘strong and loud voices’ on ‘behalf of all’ to tackle the entrenched sexism endemic not just within the BBC but everywhere.

In an open letter to the BBC’s Director General, Tony Hall, forty female presenters, including Emma Barnett, Victoria Derbyshire and Emily Maitlis, bravely demanded immediate action on the gender pay gap. In what is surely great news for the nation’s women, these stars have made the ultimate sacrifice and have declared that, with reluctance, they are prepared to accept a pay rise.