LONDON — When the government forced the BBC to publish the salary ranges of its highest-paid entertainers and journalists, executives feared a backlash from the British public, most of whom pay 147 pounds a year for the privilege of watching its television broadcasts.

While many Britons criticized the high salaries, the list also showed a significant disparity in the salaries received by women, men and minorities in general at the British broadcaster — a pay gap that has angered many, including some of the BBC’s most talented female employees.

On Sunday, in an open letter signed by 42 of them to the BBC director general, Tony Hall, and published in The Sunday Times of London and other news outlets, they demanded that the corporation “act now” to eliminate the disparity.

Among the signers were anchors and media personalities like Clare Balding, Sue Barker and Angela Rippon, and distinguished journalists like Lyse Doucet, Jane Garvey, Emily Maitlis, Mishal Husain, Zeinab Badawi, Katya Adler and Sarah Montague.