Just ten percent of the BBC’s best paid stars are non-White, the publication of the corporation’s top earners’ list has revealed.
Only 10 out of the 96 ‘on air’ names earning more than £150,000 from the licence fee are from black or minority ethnic backgrounds.
The figures suggest non-White BBC staff are struggling to achieve the highest levels of pay.
Charlene White, an ITV News presenter, pointed out that while focus had been on a massive gender pay disparity, another gap was exposed by the rel of salaries.
Darshna Soni, a Channel 4 News correspondent, also pointed out the difference in pay between White and Black and Asian stars.
The non-White stars included sports presenter Jason Mohammad (at least £250,000), Alan Yentob (£200,000), business editor Kamal Ahmed and political reporter John Pienaar (both at least £150,000).
Actors Diane Parish and Hugh Quarshie, and news presenters Naga Muchetty and Moira Stuart (all at least £150,000), alongside Mishal Husain (£200,000) and George Alagiah (£250,000) complete the short list of non-White stars.
Around 13.4% of the British population is non-White, according to most recent national census data.
The numbers shows the BBC is failing its own diversity targets and proves that the group of highest paid stars is less diverse than the wider corporation.
The BBC has said it is aiming for 15% Black, asian and minority ethnic staff by 2020.
Currently, it claims the corporation as a whole has close to 14.7% non-White staff.
Other journalists suggested the list was a sign of broader issues regarding diversity and pay in the UK’s media.
Writing on HuffPost UK, Women’s Equality Party leader Sophie Walker said the idea that top “talent” is simply white and male should be challenged.
She wrote: “We have to challenge time and time again the idea that talent looks white and male. We have to laugh at and tear up the tired old trope that the best-paid people are simply “the best person for the job.”
“To follow that argument to its natural end would be to conclude that women, people of colour, and disabled people all lack talent and white men are born with it. It simply cannot be the case the the BBC is paying its top men four times as much as its top women because the men are just better at the job.”