Clive Myrie: BBC presenter apologises for not declaring £145,000 in earnings

BBC broadcaster Clive Myrie has apologised for failing to declare at least £145,000 for external work he undertook outside his role at the corporation.

Figures suggest the 60-year-old newsreader earned at least £145,000, but it could have been more than £255,000, with the exact figure likely to be somewhere in between, according to retrospective entries to the BBC’s external events register.

Apologising in a written statement on X, Myrie blamed the error on “several administrative issues” and said he will not be taking part in paid external events for the “foreseeable future”, except for some pre-existing commitments.

“An apology – I’ve had several administrative issues, and I didn’t fill out the correct paperwork for some of my external public events, so they haven’t been published until now,” he said.

“I’ve told the BBC I won’t be taking part in any more paid external events in the foreseeable future, beyond a handful of pre-existing commitments, so that this doesn’t happen again.

“My sincere apologies.”

Myrie, who is also the host of BBC quiz show Mastermind, made 28 retrospective entries to the register, dating back to March 2021, for roles including host, presenter, interviewer, moderator and panel chairman.

He received more than £10,000 on five occasions, including an event hosted by the Isle of Man’s Energy and Sustainability Centre.

On a further 18 occasions, he was paid between £5,000 and £10,000, while he charged between £1,000 and £5,000 for five events.

He was also paid by organisations including the Football Association, American Express and the National Residential Landlords Association.

Myrie has declared external events in previous quarterly registers, but these latest retrospective additions were not previously registered in the quarters they were carried out.

According to figures from the corporation’s latest annual report, Myrie’s salary for the work he does for the BBC is listed as being between £310,000 and £314,999.

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On Wednesday, the BBC published the register for the third quarter of 2024, which it said is part of its “commitment to ensure the highest standards of impartiality across the organisation” and those who have failed to follow the correct process “have been reminded of their responsibilities with regards to the register”.

It added that where “significant non-compliance has occurred, robust management action has been taken” and that “disciplinary action can be taken for breaches”.

The corporation said it will also be updating its guidelines to outline the “volume” of paid external events individuals are allowed to undertake.