The first female host of QI has revealed a massive pay gap between her fee and that of the previous host Stephen Fry.
Sandi Toksvig has revealed that she is paid just 40 percent of the fee that Stephen Fry commanded for her QI hosting gig. Speaking at the Women’s Equality Party conference, Sandi revealed that she puts up with the pay gap because she is the first female of the long-running BBC show.
However, Sandi is paid the same amount as another male presenter, Alan Davies.
HUGE GASP in room at @WEP_UK conference as @sanditoksvig reveals she gets just 40% of what Stephen Fry got for hosting #QI and only the same as Alan Davies. #WE2018 pic.twitter.com/qtZAaDgMHY
— Catherine Mayer (@catherine_mayer) September 8, 2018
Sandi, who is 60 this year, took over presenting QI from Stephen Fry in 2015.
Speaking about the pay difference, she said, “I have recently discovered I get 40% of what Stephen used to get. And I get the same pay as (permanent panellist) Alan Davies, who is not the host.
“I temper this with the fact that I love the show and I’m the first woman to host such a show.”
Later, she added, “I love QI and the brilliant team who produce it. John Lloyd and the (production) team champion women on the show.”
However, some fans of the show were quick to point out that the pay gap could be because of the stars’ respective profile. For instance on Twitter, Stephen Fry has over 12.8 million followers, while Sandi has just 157,000. However, Sandi is also now heading up the very high profile presenting job on Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off, which makes her one of TV’s most sought-after presenters.
According to the BBC, producers Fremantle Media have made no comment on the difference.
