The BBC boss says he has made correcting the issue a "personal priority." He re-stated that his goal was to have women fill 50 percent of presenting roles by 2020, but added "if we can get there earlier then we will."

Forty-two women signed an open letter to Hall on Sunday, demanding immediate action to correct the gender pay gap which was revealed by a report released last week.

"The pay details released in the annual report showed what many of us have suspected for many years...that women at the BBC are being paid less than men for the same work," the women's letter states.

The women went on to say the discrimination exists for women across the organisation, in areas such as production and engineering, and not just for presenters. Among the letter's signatories are Alex Jones of The One Show, Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis and Antique Roadshow's Fiona Bruce.

The BBC report released last week revealed the pay scales for all the company's stars earning above £150,000. Two-thirds of the staff on the list were male.

Former Top Gear host Chris Evans topped the list with an annual salary of £2.2-2.49 million. The seven highest earners on the list were all men, with the top earning woman, Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman, making just a quarter of Evans' salary.

In Hall's letter, he agreed to the women's request to meet and discuss ways of fixing the issue. "When figures are published next year I am confident they will look very different," he writes.