Casualty’s Tom Chambers slammed for defending BBC pay gap: ‘Men have to pay for their wives and children’

Casualty star Tom Chambers has been heavily criticised after he appeared to defend the BBC pay gap, which last week proved there’s a huge difference in salary between their male and female stars.

The 40-year-old was labelled ‘sexist’ and ‘offensive’ after he claimed men have to earn more money in order to support their wives.

‘My wife works really hard as a stay-at-home mum, but I’m the only one bringing in a salary for our family,’ Chambers – who plays paramedic Sam Strachan in the BBC soap, told The Sun.

‘Many men’s salaries aren’t just for them, it’s for their wife and children, too.’

While he wasn’t among the 96 names earning £150,000 or more from the broadcaster, his comments angered plenty of people, some of whom thought they must be a ‘bad joke’.

Chambers opinion comes as he defended his co-star Derek Thompson, whose pay packet is between £350,000 and £399,999.

Speaking about the highest-earning male actor on the BBC payroll, he said: ‘It’s like being a footballer – you earn your credits. I’ve just done six months on Casualty, but Derek has done 31 years of service.

‘That means arriving in the dark at 6am and leaving when it’s dark at 9pm. It’s demanding stuff.’

Addressing Chris Evans’ staggering £2.2 million salary he continued: ‘Likewise, Chris Evans has been a household name for 20 years and his Radio 2 figures are outstanding.’

Some of the BBC’s most high-profile female stars have written to Director General Tony Hall demanding he take immediate action to ‘correct this disparity’.

Clare Balding, Victoria Derbyshire, Angela Rippon, Wimbledon presenter Sue Barker and BBC Breakfast regular Sally Nugent were among more than 40 women who have added their names to the list.

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