[Stockland Hillman]

Not sure framing it in this way is particularly helpful if I’m honest.

With no disrespect intended to Claudia, absolutely nobody knows who she is. Dan, meanwhile, was a main presenter of the biggest breakfast program in the country and is known well for his sports coverage in addition. He was undoubtedly a good signing for Channel 5/ITN, and his salary will reflect this.

In the entertainment world particularly, your ‘stock’ has a huge level of influence over the kind of fee you can command. It is absolutely nothing to do with gender. If Claudia was as well-known as Dan, I’m sure her salary would reflect this.

Employment tribunals have formed a different view on calculation of value. It's expected - on issues of equal pay - that empirical evidence is used. So things like ratings/reach for comparable work (or even the same show) with and without the higher paid talent should be considered; obviously there are other PR, commercial or sponsorship value considerations, but they must be evidence based.

So a question for ITN/5 may be 'what is the ratings difference between shows with Host A and Host B, and what is the cost difference '
Vanity hires rarely work out, and "names" are rarely worth what their agents claim. Did BBC Breakfast ratings fall off a cliff when Walker left? No. So what value was channel 5 paying for?