Thursday 13 June 2019

BBC Stars' Salaries

The BBC has published a list of its highest paid stars and exactly how much they earn. The highest paid is Gary Lineker, former footballer with a number of teams including Tottenham Hotspur and a Japanese club; and is now a top TV sports journalist. He has presented Match of the Day for twenty years and reports on many major world sporting events. He is officially a millionaire; just like Chris Evans, the variety and light entertainment maven who presents BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show. Strangely enough considering the BBC's commitment to political correctness, the rollout is still topped by "white men! (UGH!)". You actually have to scroll down to number thirteen before you find a "Woman!". Claudia Winkleman, who presents Strictly Come Dancing, is slumming by on £370,000 per annum. This will be seen as further impetus for the BBC's continuing social engineering strategy. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44792074?SThisFB. However, that is a story for another time. There is another important issue I want to raise here, and regular readers will guess where I'm going with this... How does this explain David Icke? The background to David Icke is actually almost a mirror of their current rich list gold medalist, Gary Lineker. He was a professional footballer who admittedly had a much shorter career than Lineker, just two seasons; but still chose to work in the media after being a sportsman. Like Lineker, he presented Grandstand and several other sporting TV programmes. He covered many major sporting events. However he gave it up to do what he is doing today. According to his 1993 autobiography In The light of Experience, David's contract at the BBC was not renewed. His opponents have used this as proof that he did not willingly leave the small screen, but was forcibly dismissed. However, nobody really gets sacked permanently from the media at that level unless they want to be. Look at how quickly Jeremy Clarkson was snapped up to present Who Wants to be a Millionaire? after being thrown out of the Beeb in disgrace after a violence scandal. David Icke truly did voluntarily give up his media career to pursue his current interests. It was his choice; as he says in the book: "I sacked myself." If he had taken a different route he could well be earning as much as Lineker is by today. Of course, David is not destitute; he earns a healthy living from his current activities, and why shouldn't he? Did the communist party take power in the night? However his earnings do not even approach that of the BBC's A-list celebrities. What's more, those guys' interaction with the pubic tends to be a lot of admiration with words like: "Can I have your autograph and a selfie?" For David it is scornful laughter with: "Nutter!" or "Anti-Semite!" or Racist!" He has had presentations and film screenings banned at the last minute because of threats to the venue and smears against his character. The point I'm trying to make with this article is basically: could all those people who claim David is doing what he does for the money please just SHUT THE FUCK UP!?

7 comments:

Adrian said...

Ben, people resent Icke charging through the nose for tickets to his shows and the exorbitant price of his mostly rehashed books. If he were truly evangelical about "the truth" then he wouldn't apply the same profit motive that we see in the rest of the capitalist world. I have studied Icke as a sub cultural phenomenon and beyond the absurdly kitschy sci-fi tenets of his worldview, I have no idea on what solutions he offers? Presumably he's doing rather well with the status quo so he's in no rush to change things! Cheers. Ade

Ben Emlyn-Jones said...

Ade, Icke's ticket prices are not exorbitant. They are as affordable as possible. for example: The ticket price for the 2003 Brixton Academy gig was £30. That sounds very expensive at first, but actually, when you consider that it is an all-day event at one of London’s top nightspots, it’s an absolute bargain. Amy Winehouse appeared on that same stage only the previous year and it would have set you back £58 to see her. What’s more her show lasted less than two hours, as opposed to David’s seven and a half! What you call a "profit motive" is actually a desire to earn an honest living from the work that you do. What's wrong with that? Are you a socialist? I don't consider all of David's ideas absurdly kitschy sci fi tenets at all. Most of it is valid. I disagree with him on some things. See the background links at the bottom of the article.

Adrian said...

Where to start on Icke? A serious intellectual commentator he ain't. Is the moon still a spaceship or has he ditched that one yet? As you ask Im a social democrat of the Scandinavian mold. Icke would hate Scandinavian social democracy coz he'd pay a lot more tax than he does currently. He does pay tax doesn't he?

Anonymous said...

Dear Ben I'm confused... Amy Winehouse appeared with David Icke in 2002? And only £58? That was a bargain, wish I'd known about it. Love Alan

Ben Emlyn-Jones said...

Ade, yes he pays tax. As for the moon; I disagree with him on that.

Ben Emlyn-Jones said...

Anon, sorry wrong date. It was 2007. She was not with David. She was a the Brixton Academy too.,

Anonymous said...

Ah, sorry Ben, my mistake, I misinterpreted "appeared on the same stage" and was not sure whether David was singing a duet with Amy or Amy was lecturing the audience on the control of human consciousness by the reptillians. Apologies. Love Alan