Lost stars to pocket pay rise

Lost star Matthew Fox is set to pocket a big pay rise for the fifth series of the show, according to the papers.

The Sun reports that Fox - who plays doctor Jack Shephard on the baffling drama - will earn an extra £40,000 an episode for the series.

That makes him the highest earner on the show, pocketing £121,000 per episode - and puts him in the same pay bracket as the main stars of Desperate Housewives.

The raise came after both Fox and his co-star Evangeline Lilly were reported to be seeking salary hikes in the region of £35,000.

Lilly - who plays Kate on the show - pockets around £80,000 per episode while the average salary for other cast members is £40-£50,000 per episode.

"That's the thing with these long-running US shows - the actors always demand bigger wages the longer it goes on for," a source told the paper.

"But it's still a hit so Matthew's worth the money."

Fox - who recently starred in the film Vantage Point - will begin work on the new series next week.