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BBC director-general Tony Hall criticised plans to reduce the corporation's commercial activity as he unveiled moves to generate £1 billion from hit shows including Doctor Who and Top Gear.

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Speaking to reporters at the launch of the BBC's annual report, he said the recent funding agreement in the run-up to the Budget was "not a good process" but was now settled.

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That deal, which saw the BBC take on responsibility for funding free TV licences for the over-75s, will be followed on Thursday by a Government green paper expected to call for a narrower range of programming and an examination of the future of the licence fee.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has also appointed an eight-person panel to work on the renewal of the BBC's royal charter - which sets out the corporation's remit - which runs out at the end of next year.

It has been reported that some in Government favour scrapping the BBC's rolling news channel, scaling back its website and cutting expensive entertainment shows such as The Voice.

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Mr Hall told reporters the charter debate was "shaping up to be a clash between two different views of the future".

He said: "There is an alternative view that prefers a much-diminished BBC. It's a view that is often put forward by people with their own narrow commercial interests or ideological preconceptions."

But Mr Hall said audiences did not want "a significantly smaller BBC" and the public's voice "will matter most in this debate".

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He set out what he described as "non-negotiable" aspects of the BBC, including universal funding - "Because we all pay, we all pay less" - and political independence.

He said: "I have real difficulty with the idea of artificial restrictions on creativity - after all, the last time politicians tried to be creative we ended up with the Millennium Dome. So it will be hard to support any proposal that stops us finding the next Strictly, the next Bake Off or - dare I say it - the next Top Gear."

Mr Hall revealed a five-year plan to generate £1 billion from the corporation's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, to help offset new costs including the over-75s licence fees.

BBC Worldwide paid £226.5 million to the corporation last year due to the success of hit shows including Doctor Who and Great British Bake Off.

The report said Doctor Who was its top-selling show having been licensed to 189 territories, with programmes including Top Gear and The Weakest Link also doing well.

Local versions of the motoring show, currently in the middle of recruiting a new presenting team after the exit of Jeremy Clarkson and his co-hosts, have been launched in France and China, and Bake Off has been sold to countries including Turkey and Israel.

The report also showed that amid talk of cost-cutting the BBC increased its workforce in 2014/15 and paid more to its staff including its most famous faces.

Mr Hall has pledged to save £50 million by cutting layers of management, but the workforce rose from 18,647 to 18,974 people from 2013/14 to 2014/15 and it paid out £976.5 million in wages - up from £955 million in 2014.

The BBC, which is in the middle of its Delivering Quality First efficiency drive which it says has saved £484 million this year, saw its bill for on-screen talent rise from £194 million to £208 million.

The number of people earning more than £500,000 a year fell from 14 to nine, but the amount paid to the top earners who take home more than £1 million a year rose from £4.2 million to £5.1 million. That group is thought to include famous faces such as Graham Norton and Gary Lineker.

The BBC did cut the amount paid to talent earning between £500,000 and £750,000, which fell from £6.5 million to £2.9 million.

The report also showed audience appreciation was down for the BBCs online services and TV channels, but up for radio.

The rise in the BBC's talent payroll is partly explained by the fact the corporation now pays for the staff of the World Service, which was previously funded by the Foreign Office.