Chris Moyles: 'I didn't deserve pay cut'

Chris Moyles has said that he is not happy to be earning less money than he was two years ago, though he has accepted that BBC budgets have been reduced.

The Radio 1 breakfast DJ was reportedly paid £630,000 in 2007, but it was recently reported that this figure was cut when his contract was renewed earlier this year.

Moyles told The Mirror: "I have taken a cut because they wanted me to take a cut. And hopefully that will help the BBC out a little bit. Everyone is taking a cut. It is very frustrating but budgets are down.

"I don't like the fact that I am earning less than I was two years ago and I don't think I deserve to be, because we're working harder and the figures are up. But, at the same time, if the BBC are saying, 'Help us out, take a cut for a bit', then that's fine."

He added: "They have been very good to me. I have always loved Radio 1 and I want to do the show and they want to pay me less money, so clearly we had to come to some agreement.

"It's not really about the money to me but, at the same time, you have to play the game. I'm sure Radio 1 would bite my arm off if I said, 'Don't pay me for a year, I will do it for free'. They would probably say, 'Thanks very much'. But I can't do it for free."

Moyles became the longest-serving breakfast DJ on Radio 1 this morning.