THE BBC was caught in a gender pay gap row of its own making last night after its annual report – for the first time – gave details of staff earning more than £150,000, revealing a shocking gap in the earnings of its best-known male and female presenters and actors.

Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans topped the list on more than £2 million, while multi-genre presenter Claudia Winkleman took home between £450,000-£499,999.

Brendan O’Hara, the SNP’s Media spokesperson said the BBC had to tackle the gender pay gap: “It is absolutely right that the BBC made these salaries public and I welcome that.

“However, what is clear is that there is still a lot of work to be done in the organisation to address the gender pay gap.

“The director general has promised to address this and that must be a priority. The BBC has to live up to its responsibilities and commitments to be transparent as a public service broadcaster.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said it was important the BBC “looks at the whole question of how they pay women and how they pay men for doing the same job”.

She told LBC: “The director-general, Lord Hall, has said that he wants to change this, he wants to make progress, he wants to abolish this gender pay gap. We want to see him doing that too.”

Labour indicated that BBC stars such as Gary Lineker could face significant pay cuts if Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister.

A party source confirmed that Labour’s promise of a maximum 20 to one ratio between the highest and lowest paid staff in public sector organisations would apply to those directly employed by the BBC.

Labour’s shadow culture secretary Tom Watson said: “The BBC is one of the world’s greatest broadcasters and we shouldn’t be surprised that its top stars – who millions of people tune in to watch and listen to every week – are well paid.

“Labour recognises the BBC’s dilemma: the need to give licence payers value for money while operating in a competitive commercial environment against other broadcasters who do not have to disclose what they pay.

“It’s wrong that only a third of the BBC’s highest paid stars are women, and we welcome Lord Hall’s commitment to close the gender pay gap by 2020. It would be good to see a similar commitment, and similar levels of transparency, from other media organisations – especially those who are criticising the BBC today.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and former equalities minister Jo Swinson said the figures on the gender pay gap should act as a “really strong wake-up call”.

“We need to eliminate the gender pay gap as quickly possible,” she said.

“Making gender pay gap data transparent is vital to pierce the bubble of complacency in organisations.”

A Radio 2 listener slammed presenter Jeremy Vine as “grossly overpaid” following the publication of his BBC pay packet. The journalist was asked if he was embarrassed by his £700,000-£749,999 wage.

Harry Jones from Glamorgan asked Vine: “I enjoy your programme and I enjoy you personally but I’d like to ask you a direct question, are you embarrassed to pick up your pay cheque?”

Vine said: “I just feel very lucky every day, is the answer to that,” before Jones asked: “Do you think you’re overpaid?”

The broadcaster replied: “I don’t really want to answer that because I don’t think it’s the moment for me.”

Earlier Vine himself had demanded to be told why he is paid so much as he interviewed the director of radio at the BBC, James Purnell, who told him: “You’re a fantastic broadcaster, you provide a huge public service. Let’s take the last few weeks you’ve been talking about funeral care and how people are being ripped off for that.

“That is something I’m proud to have on the BBC, proud to have in our country and provides a vital role in our democracy.”

He added: “There is a market for the Jeremy Vine, there is a market for John Humphrys, there is a market for the Chris Evans, there is a market for people at the BBC. That is the reality, we’re not operating in the same market as people who go and work for the civil service.”

Political presenter Andrew Marr defended his £400,000-a-year salary and claimed he has turned down higher offers from the BBC’s rivals. He said his pay had been steadily decreasing and had dropped £139,000 in the past two years.

A number of other BBC talent celebrated their lack of inclusion by sharing posts on Twitter with the hashtag #NotOnTheList.

UK network journalists and presenters Nicky Campbell and Andrew Marr top the list of Scots among the BBC’s top talent. They are among just 14 onscreen talents earning more than £400,000 a year, and are joined by fellow Scots Eddie Mair of Radio 4’s PM programme, who gets at least £300,000, and Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce, who makes at least £250,000.

Journalists Laura Kuenssberg and Paisley Buddy Andrew Neil both earn more than £200,000.