Wossy's lossy; BLOW 1: HUGE PAY CUT LOOMS.

Byline: NICOLA METHVEN

BBC bosses are to hit Jonathan Ross with a double whammy by slashing his wages and giving rival Graham Norton a primetime slot.

Wossy - still reeling from the Manuelgate furore - could see his EUR7million salary as much as halved when his contract runs out at the end of the year.

And with camp comic Norton becoming the official "face" of BBC1 as his chat show moves to a weeknight slot, some insiders fear Ross could end up defecting.

As the Beeb looks to make savings Norton, 46 - whose three-year deal worth EUR8.5million also ends this year - has already said he is willing to take a pay cut.

A BBC insider said: "Norton is going to overtake Ross as the BBC's highest earning entertainer. It is simply unfeasible that Jonathan can earn more than Graham given the amount of work he's going to be doing for the main channel."

BBC1 boss Jay Hunt insisted Norton - born in Bandon, Co Cork - was not being brought over to replace Ross, who has not started talks over a new package but is said to be keen to negotiate a new deal for his hit Radio 2 Saturday show.

DAMAGED

But she admitted the 48-year-old would be getting considerably less, saying: "We are pushing very hard on talent, telling them we can't go on like this. Is Jonathan immune from that? Absolutely not."

Hunt said the outcry over Ross's calls to Andrew Sachs while on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show had left him "damaged in the audience's mind", but added: "Since then, there's been no problems."

Hunt, who took over BBC1 a year ago, also insisted Ross had welcomed the idea of Norton having a BBC1 chat show.

A pal of Ross added: "There are no hard feelings. He's mates with Graham. I'm sure they'll have a laugh about it."

Norton will now have four major projects on BBC1. As well as the chat show, currently on BBC2, he launches a Saturday night family show this weekend.

Last month, he took over from Terry Wogan as host of Eurovision and later this year will front another talent show with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Hunt said: "Graham is someone we prize very highly." Insisting she was relaxed about Norton making the jump from adult to family humour, she added: "It's not all jokes about dildos, he's a great entertainer."

TALENT OF THE TAPES

JONATHAN ROSS AGE: 48

BREAK: The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross for Channel 4 in 1987.

AWARDS: His chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross has won five BAFTA awards. He was also made an OBE in 2005.

CONTROVERSY: Suspended by the BBC last year after Sachsgate.

GRAHAM NORTON AGE: 46

BREAK: His chat show So Graham Norton on Channel 4.

AWARDS: So Graham Norton won five BAFTAs.

CONTROVERSY: Forced to apologise after making a joke about the death of Bee Gee singer Maurice Gibb on his chat show.

CAPTION(S):

VALUED Presenter Graham Norton CRISIS AHEAD Wossy with wife Jane