Terry Wogan gets paid for charity

The BBC has said it is “not ashamed” of paying Sir Terry Wogan a fee for hosting the annual Children In Need charity fund-raising gala.

Sir Terry, who is the only celebrity to receive a fee, has been paid since he began presenting the show in 1980.

A BBC spokeswoman said the payment was “never remotely commercial” and came from the programme’s budget and not from charitable funds.

(Source: BBC)

The veteran broadcaster has said: “I would quite happily do it for nothing.”

The 68-year-old added that he had “never asked for a fee” for fronting the marathon appeal, which raised more than £18m on the night last November.

Documents which were released to The Mail On Sunday newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act showed that Sir Terry received £9,065 in 2005 for anchoring the seven-hour extravaganza.

“We are not ashamed to pay him and see no reason why it should not continue. If It wasn’t for Sir Terry, Children In Need would not be what it is today,” she said.

 Wogan is said to have earned £800,000 last year, that’s more than Barbara Windsor (£360,000), Tony Blair (£277, 928) and Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, (£133,997) put together.

 I have two things to say: Wogan better be making one hell of a personal donation…and nice one Babs.