Zoe Ball's dad says she deserves Chris Evans' £1.6m salary
EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Ball spoke out over his daughter's pay after her debut on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show
Zoe Ball ’s dad says she deserves to be on the £1.6million salary paid to her Radio 2 predecessor Chris Evans.
Ex-children’s TV star Johnny Ball said she was good value for her rumoured wage of £1.2million.
Praising her debut on the Breakfast Show, he said: “Whatever they pay Zoe, she’s worth every penny. If some people think it’s too much, then talk to the BBC about that.”
Asked if her and Evans should be paid the same, Johnny, 80, said: “There should be parity.
"In this day and age women do have an immense amount of say in all walks of life.”
He told how he tuned in on Monday even though “the music was a bit loud”.
The former presenter added: “Her opening line was, “Hello, I’m Zoe Ball, how’s your belly off for spots?
"That’s an old family joke, and it’s lovely she’s using references to gags when they were kids.”
She “definitely had what it takes” to make the show a hit, he said.
Zoe – the first woman to host the weekday early slot – kicked off with Aretha Franklin’s Respect.
Afterwards she said she had been nervous but “the listeners were so positive”, and a message sent by Evans was “really lovely”.
BBC director-general Tony Hall said that Zoe, 48, was “absolutely brilliant”.