BBC launches investigation into why Clive Myrie’s ‘payments for extra work’ disappeared from records

The BBC is investigating why “additional payments” paid to Clive Myrie were not included in his external income records.

Myrie, one of the BBC’s most high-profile presenters, last week topped a poll of BBC presenters who earned the most from corporate work, earning at least £66,000 in the year to the end of June.

The 60-year-old, who already earns around £310,000 a year from presenting shows including BBC News at One, Six and Ten, has made extra money from 11 events, the figures show.

Myrie also earns money from presenting the game show Mastermind on BBC Two, which currently counts towards his published salary figures as it is part of the commercial arm of the BBC.

Since 2021, BBC presenters and executives have been required to report non-BBC events for which they have received payment in a bid to “promote the highest standards of impartiality”.

The Sunday Times has written to the BBC asking for clarification on corporate events this year that Myrie has attended but which have not been included in the register.

Employees are required to submit monthly statements, which the BBC publishes every three months, a move introduced by director general Tim Davie.

Myrie has pledged to organise six after-hours events in the first six months of the year, including earning £10,000 to organise the British Insurance Brokers Association conference in Manchester.

The Sunday Times has revealed four other corporate developments that Myrie failed to announce between January and June.

Myrie also earned between £5,000 and £10,000 for organising the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association lunch in March, but this was not disclosed due to a “processing error”. This will be added in the next version.

It is not yet clear whether the other three events – involving law firm Allen & Overy, Dutch investment bank ING and the Association of Insurance and Risk Managers in Industry and Commerce – were voluntary or whether the money he earned was simply not recorded.

The news presenter occasionally appears for free, such as at the Founders Forum event in June.

A BBC spokesman said: “It appears there have been some administrative errors in relation to entries on the register. These will be investigated and the register will be updated if necessary.”

Even without these events, Myrie topped the BBC’s external events list in terms of revenue.

The news presenter, who also co-hosted BBC1’s recent election night, took part in three events that raised “over £10,000”, equating to at least £30,000. The actual figure could be much higher.

Myrie appeared seven more times, earning between £5,000 and £10,000 for each appearance.

The data disclosed by industry publication Press Gazette covers the period from the beginning of July 2023 to the end of June 2024.

In addition to his extensive BBC duties, Myrie frequently presents and speaks at corporate events. On 12 September he hosted the Inspire Justice Awards lunchtime – before giving a speech at the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

Last Tuesday he attended a breakfast social with the JLA speakers agency and later hosted the Legal Business magazine awards, returning to Grosvenor House.

Next week he will host the Highways Awards at the Park Plaza in Westminster, before appearing at the Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast for the Institute of Northern Ireland Directors’ Dinner.

Right behind Myrie on the list of the highest earners outside the home were Today show presenters Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, who each earned £45,000 from such work over the 12-month period, according to the report.

They tied for first place for the most events entered, with a prize pool of over £10,000, and entered four times during the year.

Myrie is the highest-paid person based on the minimum amount people were paid for their appearances. The highest salary bracket the BBC lists events in is “over £10,000”, meaning there is no upper limit.

Myri’s three highest-paid gigs have been paid for by the Black Police Officers Association, the British Insurance Brokers Association, and Legal and General, a financial services company. He has hosted events at the last two shows.