TOP Gear presenter James May has not demanded a similar salary to co-host Jeremy Clarkson, his agent said yesterday.
Several newspapers reported that May and colleague Richard Hammond had refused to sign new contracts for the popular BBC2 motoring show because of the wage dispute.
One reported that Clarkson was paid almost £2m a year by the BBC, while his co
-hosts earned around £350,000 each.
May's representative, Arlington Enterprises, confirmed its client's contract was up for renewal at the end of the month, but said talks with the corporation were at an early stage.
Spokeswoman Annie Sweetbaum said: "We are not looking for parity with Jeremy, but the best deal we can secure for James. But that is never going to be what the BBC first offer."
Hammond's agent was unavailable for comment.
The profiles of May, 45, and Hammond, 38, have increased in recent years with the former branching out in other BBC shows such as Oz And James's Big Wine Adventure, with Oz Clarke.
Hammond gained unwanted notoriety when he nearly died following his high-speed crash at 288mph during filming for Top Gear in September 2006.
It is understood Clarkson, 48, earns considerably more than his fellow presenters because he has a stake in the rights of the series, which regularly attracts audiences of more than eight million viewers. The BBC said it could not comment on specific contract negotiations.
Top Gear's irreverent blend of motoring news, stunts and challenges is also broadcast to numerous countries worldwide and a deal was recently struck to produce an Australian version of the show.
In one newspaper report, a source said: "Internally there is talk that there might be a chance for the first time that there could be a break-up of the team. It has got that bad. There has been a lot of pulling out of hair, a Mexican stand-off. For the first time, it is possible that one or both might leave."
He added: "They don't want to accept second status anymore. There has been a meltdown in negotiations."
The negotiations come at a challenging time for the BBC, which is having to make cuts in key departments to make up for a funding gap left by a less-than-expected licence fee settlement.
The full article contains 389 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
