THE BBC was embroiled in a fresh row over executive pay last night after internal accounts revealed it is paying 339 managers more than £100,000 each. The figures, released under freedom of information (FOI) laws, reveal that the corporation’s top earners are being paid £44m in total.

In fact the number of BBC staff who earn six-figure salaries is higher still, because the figure of 339 does not include managers at the BBC’s commercial subsidiaries or members of the executive board, who are all exempt from the FOI disclosure.

This weekend the Tories said they wanted to force the BBC to publish the pay of senior management and performers every year. They outlined their plans as Jonathan Ross, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, made a comeback on Friday after his three-month ban for making lewd phone calls to Andrew Sachs, the Fawlty Towers actor. Ross has a three-year contract for £18m.

Ed Vaizey, the Tory arts and media spokesman, said: “We would use every weapon available to get the BBC to make these figures public, and, if they prove resistant, we will bring in legislation. Transparency for licence-fee payers is essential.”

The new figures show that after the director-general Mark Thompson – who earns £817,000 with benefits – and his fellow executive directors, broad swathes of managers also enjoy high salaries. Alan Yentob, the BBC’s creative director, is believed to be one of two executives who earn between £310,000 and £339,900 a year. Jay Hunt, the controller of BBC1, is one of five executives who enjoy a basic salary of £310,000 plus bonus and pension.

Lesley Douglas, the Radio 2 controller who resigned in the wake of the Jonathan Ross scandal, was earning £280,000 – the salary now understood to be enjoyed by Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC2.

Other executives believed to be on salaries of more than £250,000 include Helen Boaden, director of news, and Roger Mosey, director of sport.

Don Foster, the Liberal Democrat culture spokesman, said: “For the BBC to carry on paying such high wages when other public-service broadcasters are struggling to survive is unjustified. They have to start cutting salaries.”

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