No that will be gross values, the statement about ~77K being on the high end for the UK is right.
Easy experiment I went to jobserve.com a well known UK programmer job site and did a search for the word "programmer"
its breakdown of offered gross salaries is this
Not stated on job 39
Below £15K 1
£15K-£20K 28
£20K-£25K 79
£25K-£30K 173
£30K-£40K 286
£40K-£50K 247
£50K-£75K 166
£75K-£100K 27
Above £100K 11