Schama's Pounds 3m BBC Deal Makes Him a Higher Earner Than Starkey

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THE TELEVISION historian Simon Schama is being offered a pounds 3m exclusive deal to produce two new series and accompanying books, the BBC confirmed yesterday.

The package, which ties Schama to the BBC for four years, makes him a higher earner than his fellow television historian David Starkey, who has an exclusive package with Channel 4 and Granada worth pounds 2m.

Schama's deal works out at pounds 250,000 for each hour of programming, not including the time spent on writing the accompanying books. One series will be on art masterpieces, and the other, called Rough Crossings, will be on links between American and British history.

When rumours of the …