Tony Hall, the director-general of the BBC, is to unveil plans to tackle the gender pay gap at the broadcaster and the amount it pays TV and radio presenters.
Hall is expected to address staff at the BBC on Wednesday morning about pay after a summer dogged by controversy for the corporation.
The BBC boss is understood to have authorised accountancy firm PwC and law firm Eversheds Sutherland to do an audit of how much the corporation pays its staff with a view to eradicating disparities, potentially through pay cuts for some stars.
PwC is already conducting a review for the BBC about the disparities between World Service staff and the rest of the news department – which is another major pay row at the broadcaster – but the work of the firm is now thought to be wider this.
A BBC source told the Telegraph: “Tony and the executive team are keen to do something pretty big and dramatic. It’s going to be open, transparent and independent.”