Husband and wife Supporting Artists Rita and Hugh O'Brien have lifted the lid on the financial realities of working as extras on Britain's biggest TV shows. Despite appearing on programmes such as Coronation Street, Doctors, and The Father Brown Mysteries, they say the take-home pay can be as low as £100 per day after expenses.
Pay breakdown: What extras really earn
Hugh O'Brien explained that the BBC and ITV typically pay around £120 per day before deductions. However, after the agent's commission — which can be 20-25% — plus tax, travel and accommodation costs, the net amount drops significantly. 'In theory, you can probably earn, on a good day, if you do 12 hours and it's a continuous day, and it's the worst case scenario, it's a really long day, you go into lots of overtime, you can earn around £300, £320 maybe. But then you've got to take at least 20% off of that, plus tax and obviously your own accommodation and travel. So I would say you're probably looking at around £130 take-home per job,' Hugh told Express.co.uk.
Rita added: 'To be honest, you will be lucky if you come out with £100 at the end of it, because we have to give our agents roughly 25% and depending on where the soap is filming, you have to travel, but they do not cover that. You do not get your hotel paid for anything like that. So you are not going to make money doing it unless you're a local hire.'
Hidden costs and agent fees
The couple, who live in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, often have to travel to London for work. They are not reimbursed for travel or accommodation. Hugh noted: 'We don't get paid for travel. We don't get paid for hotels. So we've got to find ourselves accommodation and travel. We've got to get to the location. They sometimes will pay for parking, depending on where it is. But nine times out of 10, you've got to use public transport, or the parking is free.'
Rita also revealed that some agents still charge an upfront fee to be on their books. 'A few years ago, I had two days on Holby City, and at the end of the first day, I still owed the agent money, even though I had worked all day.'
Occasional windfalls: 'Little extras' boost income
Despite the low base pay, there are opportunities to earn more. Rita recalled a particularly lucrative job on Doctors for the Bollywood-themed proposal episode that won Scene of the Year at the 2018 British Soap Awards. 'I provided an evening dress for my costume, and I was supposed to be playing the viola, although I ended up standing and holding it looking on, and I had to learn a dance, and I was interacting with the cast. I actually got it was about £300, which, back then, was a lot of money for a soap when normally you would only get about £75.'
Hugh also mentioned a recent role standing in for an actor on the new Luther film, for which he received a flat fee of £240. 'But then, obviously, the agent takes their commission, plus tax.'
A labour of love: 'Best-paid hobby in the world'
Both O'Briens emphasised that being a Supporting Artist is not a reliable career but rather a passion. Hugh said: 'The way I explain it to anybody looking to get into this business is it's the best-paid hobby in the world, and if you like it, it's something that becomes very addictive. But if you ever think of it as being a career or being something that you can make a steady income out of, you'll be very wrong.'
Rita currently appears regularly on The Father Brown Mysteries, where she said she takes home about £120 a day. 'So you're not gonna get loads of money if you are doing the soap; however, you're gonna meet amazing people and have a brilliant time.'
Diversifying income: Art and other ventures
To make ends meet, the couple have diversified. They have appeared on reality shows such as Bargain Hunt and Coach Trip. Rita also facilitates science workshops for children and has become a successful pet portrait artist, despite failing her art O-Level. 'I failed my art O-Level,' she laughed. 'But it turned out I can draw. I'm now getting inquiries from all over for my art.'
Rita reflected on her varied career: 'It's another creative thing that fits in, which, considering I started off as a computer programmer, it's really, really lovely for me that I'm actually creating things. All of these jobs all just come together really neatly and nicely, and I can kind of pop them all in together and work around them.'
