BBC may not have been happy to lose star David Tennant in the title role of its most popular scripted series, but the bean counters are.

That's because Matt Smith, who will become the 11th Doctor in the series, is set to make £1 million, or $1.4 million. Not each year, like Tennant reportedly made, but actually over five years. That means Smith will earn just £200,000, or just over $280,000, each year in the Tardis.

The BBC wouldn't discuss with British publication The Daily Telegraph about Smith's salary, but did say that all current deals are being done with the "economic climate in mind." Meaning past companions like Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman and especially Catherine Tate may have earned more for their roles in the past.

Compared to other British television personalities, that puts Smith low man on the totem pole, in terms of salary. Jonathan Ross, who was suspended last year for three months following an on-air phone prank gone bad, earned £5 million, or $7.2 million, annually. Graham Norton, who spent a very short time entertaining American audiences after a brief popular stint on BBC America, still earns £2.5 million, or $3.6 million, each year in his home country.

Former soccer star Gary Lineker picks up £1.5 million, or $2.2 million, each year.

Minimum salary for actors under the Screen Actors Guild are said to make as much as $650 per day, or $150,000 per year, and Smith will make 86 percent more, but Tennant was paid more than 830 percent more than the SAG minimum.

If the economy improves and Smith is well-received by audiences, there's a chance his contract could be renegotiated at some point, possibly even after the first three years. His fourth and fifth years are optional, according to The Sun.

With an average of 12 million viewers, BBC paid Tennant £1 for every 12 viewers. If the audience stays the same when Smith takes over, BBC will pay their top actor on the series £1 for every 60 viewers.

Tennant returns for the first of three specials this year around Easter in "Planet of the Dead."

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