Drollery

It's not just Chris Moyles whom BBC accountants have squeezed.  BBC radio is changing the way it pays real thespians. 

Most actors perform for a standard rate per episode or show, to allow producers to meet budgets when casting. A new four-part series in production is trying a different approach - recording two shows in a day. So an actor on, say 300 guineas (sum changed to preserve anonymity)  would expect 600 guineas for their efforts that day. Now, apparently the offer is 400 guineas for the day and there's no negotiation.

It's a squeeze that's familiar in independent production (and in recording of tv quizzes, etc). It may, however, be preferable to further drama cuts (or disappearance, as in World Service-commissioned plays).