"But of course we will lose some people and of course we have lost a couple of people for a large number of reasons, but no doubt disclosure and the fact people know their pay has been a factor in some of those losses."<doc-sep>Chris Evans may have left the BBC because they were forced to publish his £1.6million pay deal, Director General Tony Hall admitted today. The star, 52, who has the corporation's second highest salary behind Gary Lineker, recently announced he would be returning to Virgin Radio and leaving Radio 2's breakfast show. Evans quit last week and said money was not a factor - but Lord Hall said today that the BBC had lost some of its big names, partly because their pay had been published. He told MPs today that broadcasters Chris Evans and former Radio 4 PM host Eddie Mair had quit for a 'number of reasons' but that 'undoubtedly, knowing what has been going on, that disclosure has been a factor in their decision to leave.' He said Evans wanted a new challenge but added: 'I don't think there is any doubt, disclosure has made it harder for us to retain people like that.' Director General Tony Hall claims publishing the pay of its top stars hasn't help keep key people including Chris Evans Lord Hall said of Evans, who was paid at least £1.6 million by the BBC: 'I think the pressure on him, when it came to the annual disclosures, was quite hard. For three or four days he was the centre of a lot of attention. BBC director general Lord Hall says corporation 'really is very sorry' for what Cliff Richard has been through in wake of privacy row Tony Hall has admitted the BBC will cover most of Sir Cliff Richard's costs after he took them to the High Court over the coverage of a police raid on his house. Asked about how much the Sir Cliff Richard case has cost the corporation, Lord Hall said: 'I can't tell you yet, the process is not at an end, but might I say and repeat what I said in public and a variety of places. 'We really are very sorry for what Sir Cliff has been through and I think there are two issues for us, one is the nature of the coverage and then one is the principle we were wanting to establish through carrying on with the court case. I could expand on both or neither as you would like.' Responding to how 'in what sense the case was still going on', Lord Hall explained that the legal process was ongoing and spoke of an insurance policy the BBC has which 'will cover most of those costs'. Advertisement 'If you are a presenter that's something you have to bear into consideration when you think about where you want to work in the future. 'I take my hat off to him. I think he's been through that with an extraordinary amount of gusto. He's a remarkable presenter. He's a loss to the BBC. He's a loss to our audiences.' QI host Sandi Toksvig recently revealed she is paid 40 per cent of what the programme's former host Stephen Fry used to earn for his work on the comedy panel show. 'In the case of Sandi Toksvig, who does a fantastic job on QI, she is employed by an independent (production company) and of course we discuss with the indy the make-up of all their costs but in the end it's for them to decide what is the right amount to pay to Sandi,' Lord Hall said. 'One factor is the world has kind of changed. When Stephen Fry was presenting QI at the beginning, the amount (paid) to presenters was higher than it is now. The world has changed.' Lord Hall also told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that free licence fees for over-75s will be reviewed. 'The concession, as it's currently formulated, comes to an end in June 2020... We, the board, have got to decide what to replace it with,' he said. 'We have got to be mindful. We know that those over 65 or over 75 consume many, many more BBC services than others.' Eddie Mair has moved from BBC Radio 4 to commercial station LBC having earned around £350,000 at the corporation, accounts show And he admitted the BBC 'overdid it' with its Cliff Richard coverage. BBC licence fee for over 75s is to be reviewed, BBC director general reveals BBC Director General Tony Hall has said that free licence fees for over-75s will be reviewed. The BBC chief spoke about the issue while being questioned by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. 'The concession, as it's currently formulated, comes to an end in June 2020... We, the board, have got to decide what to replace it with,' he said. 'We have got to be mindful. We know that those over 65 or over 75 consume many, many more BBC services than others.' 'There is real hardship among some or many of those over 75 too. We have to consult. That's something the board will be discussing over the autumn and winter.' He said: 'It could be the same. The board could say we will continue with it as it is. It could be reformed. There's a whole load of options. 'We are not in a position to say what the right option will be. We have to have a public consultation about what we we do. We will make a decision at some point in the autumn or winter.' BBC could scrap free licence fees for over 75s 'because they watch more television than other age groups' By Lara Keay Free TV licences for people over 75-years-old could be scrapped because they 'watch more television than others do'. BBC Director General Tony Hall made the announcement while he was being quizzed by the Government's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee today. He told ministers the grant that subsidises licence fees for the over 75s comes to an end in June 2020 and the BBC is considering making pensioners pay again instead. The Corporation will have to shoulder the £650million cost of providing licences for the elderly if they continue with the waiver scheme after the grant expires.<doc-sep>"He has given 100 percent to each of his BBC projects, including raising millions of pounds for Children in Need. I'd like to thank him for all his efforts over the years and wish him all the best for the future."<doc-sep>Chris Evans announced on Monday that he would be leaving the Radio 2 Breakfast Show to rejoin rival station Virgin. And the presenter, 52, looked relaxed after making the big decision, as he stepped out of the BBC Radio Two Studios after finishing his shift on his breakfast show. He cut a casual figure as he donned a bold red hoodie over navy blue pinstripe suit trousers and yellow espadrilles trainers. Happy: Chris Evans looked relaxed as he left his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Monday... after announcing he's leaving it to join rival station Virgin The DJ kept a low profile by wearing aviator shades, and kept his ivory locks hidden underneath a blue baseball cap. Chris was in high spirits as he walked through the streets of London, chatting to friends with a smile on his face. Despite his decision to leave things seem to be going fine for the broadcaster, who has been at the helm of his show for eight years. Beaming: Chris was in high spirits as he walked through the streets of London, chatting to friends with a smile on his face Evans, who is expecting twins in the autumn with his wife, told stunned listeners that he was off to 'start a brand new adventure.' Just an hour and a half after the shock announcement, it emerged that he will be rejoining Virgin Radio to host the breakfast show. It is not clear how much money his new contract with Virgin will be worth, but experts predict he could see his salary boosted to somewhere near the £2million mark. Relaxed: He cut a casual figure as he donned a bold red hoodie over navy blue pinstripe suit trousers and yellow espadrilles trainers Evans' £1.6million BBC pay packet makes him the second highest earner at the corporation after Gary Lineker. But his salary this year was down on the £2.2million he was paid in the year to April 2017, because he had hosted the newly revamped Top Gear before quitting after one series because of plunging ratings. Despite the fact that Evans is quitting to join a rival, a Radio 2 insider insisted that he was going with the station's blessing, and they were aware of his plans before the announcement was made. Looking for something new: Evans, who is expecting twins in the autumn with his wife, told stunned listeners that he was off to 'start a brand new adventure' The insider revealed: 'His decision to go to Virgin is not something we have just heard about. We were aware of it. It is very amicable. 'We support Chris 100%. As Chris stated, he wants to seek new challenges after 13 years at the BBC, and we wish him well.' Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said in a tweet that he was 'very excited' he would be returning to Virgin Radio, having previously hosted its breakfast show from 1997 to 2001.<doc-sep>
Chris Evans quit Radio 2 after his earnings were made public amid the BBC pay row, director general Lord Hall has admitted. The DJ, 52, recently announced his return to Virgin Radio – which the Mirror revealed was in part due to behind-the-scenes talks over his £1.6million deal. Speaking to MPs today, Lord Hall said the BBC had lost big names partly because details of their pay had been published. Insiders fear more stars could follow Evans out of the door in the coming months as a row over how they are paid as freelancers is also brewing. Lord Hall told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that Evans and PM host Eddie Mair quit for a number of reasons but “undoubtedly, knowing what has been doing on, disclosure has been a factor”. (Image: BBC) He said Evans had wanted a new challenge but added: “I don’t think there is any doubt, disclosure has made it harder for us to retain people like that. I think the ­pressure on him, when it came to the annual disclosures, was quite hard. “For three or four days he was the centre of a lot of attention. He’s a loss to the BBC. He’s a loss to our audiences.” QI host Sandi Toksvig recently revealed she is paid 40% of what the former host Stephen Fry trousered on the comedy panel show. (Image: BBC) Lord Hall told MPs: “In the case of Sandi Toksvig, she is employed by an independent [production firm] and of course we discuss with the indy the make-up of all their costs. “But in the end it’s for them to decide what is the right amount to pay to Sandi. One factor is the world has kind of changed. When Stephen Fry was presenting QI at the beginning, the amount (paid) to presenters was higher. The world has changed.” (Image: REUTERS) Lord Hall also told MPs the BBC “overdid it” with its coverage of the police raid on Sir Cliff Richard over historic sex abuse claims he was later cleared of. Asked how much the privacy case has cost the corporation, he said: “I can’t tell you yet, the process is not at an end.” He added: “We really are very sorry for what Sir Cliff has been through. My own view is we overdid it, I think the helicopter was overdoing it.”