Alan Hansen earns £40k for each 'Match of the Day'

Salaries paid by the BBC are once again in the spotlight after it emerged that Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen earns £1.5 million a year from the corporation, working out at £40,000 per episode of the football show.

The former Liverpool player is thought to be among the highest paid stars at the BBC, although Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker is believed to be on a bigger contract.

At a time when the corporation is proposing to cut up to 2,000 jobs by 2017 as it seeks to save around £670m, media reports suggest Hansen is earning £40,000 for each appearance on the highlights programme.

Hansen started his broadcasting career in 1991 as a commentator and pundit after retiring from football. He has also contributed a weekly column to The Daily Telegraph and appeared in advertising campaigns for Morrisons and Carlsberg.

The BBC has come under fire over the years for the salaries paid to its top stars, with most criticism being levelled at the multi-million pound deal agreed with Jonathan Ross.

In July, the BBC revealed for the first time details of the pay of its top TV and radio stars, confirming that 19 people earn more than half a million pounds a year from the corporation (although not disclosing their identities).

Hansen is understood to be among these people, with the former Scotland international having appeared in roughly half of the episodes of Match of the Day over the last year.

Conservative MP Damian Collins, a member of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, told The Sunday Telegraph: "It is a lot of money for Alan Hansen, and the BBC needs to justify such large amounts at a time when every pound they spend is being scrutinised.

"Talent pay is something members of the public are concerned about and they (the BBC) have to be extra careful at a time of job losses."

However, the BBC said that it was "very happy" with Hansen's "successful" contribution to Match of the Day.

Last week, the BBC chat show star Graham Norton claimed that he would be happy to take a second pay cut when his contract with the corporation is renegotiated.