The BBC presenter Samira Ahmed has launched a landmark equal pay case, claiming she was paid 85% less than her male equivalent.

Ahmed was cheered when she arrived at the central London employment tribunal on Monday morning. She was accompanied by colleagues and supporters, including the BBC Breakfast show presenter Naga Munchetty and the broadcaster Aasmah Mir.

Ahmed will demand hundreds of thousands of pounds in back pay for her work on the BBC programme Newswatch, which she has presented since 2012 and received £440 an episode for. She will claim her male equivalent at the broadcaster was Jeremy Vine, who was paid as much as £3,000 a show for his work on the Points of View programme.

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Ahmed’s legal case, supported by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), will argue both Newswatch and Points of View are presenter-led programmes lasting about 15 minutes that offer the public the opportunity to air their views on BBC content, and that she has a right to equal pay for equal work. The corporation’s legal team, however, will argue the two presenters were not doing the same or similar work because the programmes are different formats for different audiences.

Although Ahmed was accompanied by female BBC colleagues, many were reluctant to talk to journalists owing to their work for the organisation, while some are also pursuing pay complaints.

Another supporter, the poet Lemn Sissay, who is the chancellor of the University of Manchester, said he wanted to show solidarity with Ahmed and all the women bringing equal pay cases against the BBC.

“I would hope if I was in a similar situation, people would support me too. Like Samira, I love the BBC and this action is for the betterment of the BBC. We are here to improve the practice of an organisation that we love,” he said.

Ahmed has secured an agreement from the BBC for full backdated pay for her work on Radio 4’s Front Row and Radio 3’s Night Waves/Free Thinking, the NUJ said, where the pay gap between Ahmed and her male equivalents was 50% and 33% respectively.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest According to Samira Ahmed’s case, Jeremy Vine received £3,000 an episode for Points of View. Photograph: David Mirzoeff/PA

“I love my job on Newswatch, despite it being difficult and challenging,” Ahmed said in a statement. “I know that it is an important part of demonstrating the BBC service to all its audiences and the licence-fee payers.

“I have a sense of pride working for a public service broadcaster which seeks to represent the diversity of Britain and its licence-fee payers.

“On the back of my BBC ID card are written the BBC values, which include ‘we respect each other and celebrate our diversity’ and ‘we take pride in delivering quality and value for money’. I just ask why the BBC thinks I am worth only a sixth of the value of the work of a man for doing a very similar job.”

The case will be heard at the central London employment tribunal over the next seven days.