THE BBC was last night facing a class row as it emerged that six in 10 of its top reporting staff attended private schools.

The revelation came as the director- general of the BBC told 40 senior female presenters and reporters who signed a letter demanding action to cut tackle the gender pay gap at the corporation: “I value your contribution.”

But the BBC also faces criticisms over a “class gap”, following last week’s release of the salaries of all those paid more than £150,000.

Analysis by Sky News claimed 45 per cent of the BBC’s best paid stars and 60 per cent of on-air journalists went to private schools – meaning someone from that background is nine times more likely to be a top BBC journalist than someone who went to a state school.

Both male journalists – like Nick Robinson, who attended Cheadle Hulme School, and women, such as Laura Kuenssberg, who attended Glasgow’s Laurel Bank girls’ school – fall into this category. “The gender pay gap may be too large but it’s not nearly as big as the class pay gap for the people who never made it in the first place because of their background,” the report said.

Following the publication of the open letter from high-profile women presenters, BBC director-general Lord Hall said work was under way to make the BBC an “exemplar” on diversity.

The letter demanded immediate action and was signed by leading names including Clare Balding, Sarah Smith, Emily Maitlis and Kirsty Wark, who tweeted “This billet doux is for ALL women at @BBC”.

In the letter, they said women were clearly being paid less than men for doing the same job, and while most of the co-signatories were “well compensated and fortunate” they wanted to see change in the interests of future generations of women.

“The BBC has known about the pay disparity for years. We all want to go on the record to call upon you to act now,” they said.

Lord Hall claimed work to tackle gender pay disparities was already under way. “There will be wider consultation meetings over the next two months so we can accelerate further change in the autumn,” he said. “I would obviously value your contribution and thinking as part of this process. When figures are published next year I am confident they will look very different.

“When other organisations publish their gender pay data by next April, I want the BBC to be one of the best performers ... But beyond that over the next three years I want the BBC to be regarded as an exemplar on gender and diversity.”

Meanwhile the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) has called on other public service broadcasters to reveal their gender pay gap In an open letter to bosses at ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, STV and S4C,WEP leader Sophie Walker said: “The shocking revelation over the BBC pay gap has shown how far-reaching gender inequality is in the UK.

“People are waking up to the fact that pay inequality is everywhere, no matter how well-paid the staff or how diverse the organisation.”