Radio 1's Greg James reveals his astonishing BBC starting salary

Radio 1 Breakfast star Greg Jameshas opened up about the eye-watering amount he earned when he had just joined the broadcaster at the age of 21. Greg, 39, is a huge success story at the BBC and now draws in 4.1 million listeners daily with the weekday show he has been fronting for the last seven years.

Writing in his new book, All the Best for the Future: Growing Up Without Growing Old, Greg admits that his starting salary at the BBC was a huge £80,000. He detailed how at the time he was offered two jobs, one at a local radio station for £18,000 and a BBC role for £80,000.

A no brainer on the money front, Greg chose to sign on with the BBC and broadcast his first instalment of the Early Breakfast Show in 2007, the day after he graduated from the University of East Anglia. Greg is now paid £425,000 a year to front the Breakfast Show.

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He told The Times, "I included that in the book, more to say how lucky I felt and to compare the step up from regional to national. I just couldn't believe it. I had no idea of salaries then and they are lower now, but maybe there is ownership too.

"As in, if you are going to print my salary, I'm going to tell you my first salary. If that's the game, then fine." James also spoke out in defence of the BBC as he expressed his support for the broadcaster trying to steer away from endorsing the personal viewpoints of their talent, in favour of remaining impartial.

He said, "I massively respect the BBC and its mission — you can't have 5,000 presenters spouting personal opinions all day. Yes, it's imperfect and will always be, but that's because the BBC is a bunch of humans running a huge corporation."

All the Best for the Future: Growing Up Without Growing Old is a memoir style release which features tips for self-help as well as anecdotes and funny stories. The book takes on the task of encouraging people to remain a little silly, even when they are meant to be serious adults.

Earlier this year Greg was named as godfather to fellow Radio 1 presenters Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo's baby after he won Radio 1's Giant Face Off. Team Greg and Team Jamie were challenged to take solve a series of clues leading them to different areas of the country.

Once they had figured out the location, they had to race to retrieve a flag with their opponent's face on it, with the team who collected the most flags the winners.

After a frantic few days of travelling the UK to locations including Barry, Derry and even the Shetland Islands, the pair took part in an actual race to the finish line in Newcastle, with Greg crowned the winner for his 10 flags to Jamie's nine.

Jamie was set to take over as host of Radio 1 Breakfast had he won, however instead Greg was made godfather to Jamie and Sophie's unborn baby.

All the Best for the Future: Growing Up Without Growing Old is scheduled for release on Thursday, September 25.

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