Former Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker has topped the list of the BBC’s highest-earning on-air talent for the eighth consecutive year and the final time.
Lineker was reported to have earned between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 in the corporation’s latest annual report for 2024/2025, for his work on the Premier League highlights show and coverage of European football.
The 64-year-old left the BBC early at the end of the last Premier League season in May following a social media row after he shared a post about Zionism which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult.
Lineker issued an unreserved apology for the incident, and will no longer front the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season.
Radio presenter Zoe Ball was the second highest-paid, earning between £515,000 and £519,999, for her work on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, which she left on December 20 last year.
Ball has since returned to a new Saturday afternoon show on the station, which she began hosting in May 2025.
Match Of The Day pundit Alan Shearer was the third-highest earner with a salary of between £440,000 and £444,999.
The former Newcastle United striker will continue to analyse football on the BBC in the new season with Match Of The Day’s incoming presenters Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.
His pay also covered work on the BBC’s coverage of European football competitions, such as the Uefa Champions League.
BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter Greg James came fourth on the list, earning between £425,000 and £429,999, for work which also included his Radio 4 show Rewinder, while Fiona Bruce and Nick Robinson were the joint fifth-highest earners, with both earning between £410,000 and £414,999.
Bruce’s pay covered her work on Question Time and other presenting work on BBC One and coverage of the UK general election, while Robinson’s included his presenting work, Political Thinking and Today podcasts, and his work covering the UK general election.
The annual report and salary reveal comes as the BBC has made headlines over its coverage of the Glastonbury Festival, the Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary, and a report into Gregg Wallace’s behaviour on MasterChef.
On Monday, Wallace’s MasterChef co-host John Torode confirmed he had a standalone allegation of racist language upheld in the same report.
Others on the list include BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, who earned between £355,000-£359,999, Today presenter Amol Rajan (£315,000-£319,999) and Radio presenter Jo Whiley (£230,000-£234,999).
Full list of BBC on-air salaries above £178,000 for 2024/25
The equivalent salary band for 2023/24 is shown in brackets, with a description of the year-on-year change
1. Gary Lineker £1,350,000-£1,354,999 (no change)
2. Zoe Ball £515,000-£519,999 (down from £950,000-£954,999)
3. Alan Shearer £440,000-£444,999 (up from £380,000-£384,999)
4. Greg James £425,000-£429,999 (up from £415,000-£419,999)
=5. Fiona Bruce £410,000-£414,999 up from £405,000-£409,999)
=5. Nick Robinson £410,000-£414,999 (up from £345,000-£349,999)
7. Stephen Nolan £405,000-£409,999 (no change)
8. Laura Kuenssberg £395,000-£399,999 (up from £325,000-£329,999)
9. Vernon Kay £390,000-£394,999 (up from £320,000-£324,999)
10. Justin Webb £365,000-£369,999 (up from £320,000-£324,999)
=11. Scott Mills £355,000-£359,999 (up from £315,000-£319,999)
=11. Naga Munchetty £355,000-£359,999 (up from £345,000-£349,999)
13. Sophie Raworth £350,000-£354,999 (up from £325,000-£329,999)
14. Clive Myrie £335,000-£339,999 (up from £310,000-£314,999)
=15. Mark Chapman £325,000-£329,999 (up from £260,000-£264,999)
=15. Mishal Husain £325,000-£329,999 (down from £340,000-£344,999)
17. Amol Rajan £315,000-£319,999 (up from £310,000-£314,999)
=18. Sara Cox £310,000-£314,999 (down from £315,000-£319,999)
=18. Jeremy Vine £310,000-£314,999 (up from £285,000-£289,999)
=20. Nicky Campbell £300,000-£304,999 (up from £295,000-£299,999)
=20. Reeta Chakrabarti £300,000-£304,999 (up from £270,000-£274,999)
=20. Evan Davis £300,000-£304,999 (up from £290,000-£294,999)
=23. Ros Atkins £295,000-£299,999 (up from £290,000-£294,999)
=23. Tina Daheley £295,000-£299,999 (up from £270,000-£274,999)
25. Emma Barnett £285,000-£289,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
26. Victoria Derbyshire £275,000-£279,999 (down from £295,000-£299,999)
27. Chris Mason £270,000-£274,999 (up from £260,000-£264,999)
28. Jeremy Bowen £260,000-£264,999 (up from £240,000-£244,999)
29. Sarah Montague £250,000-£254,999 (up from £245,000-£249,999)
30. Trevor Nelson £245,000-£249,999 (up from £235,000-£239,999)
=31. Katya Adler £240,000-£244,999 (up from £230,000-£234,999)
=31. Jon Kay £240,000-£244,999 (up from £225,000-£229,999)
=33. Rick Edwards £235,000-£239,999 (up from £215,000-£219,999)
=33. Faisal Islam £235,000-£239,999 (down from £260,000-£264,999)
=33. Fergal Keane £235,000-£239,999 (up from £225,000-£229,999)
=36. Jason Mohammad £230,000-£234,999 (down from £245,000-£249,999)
=36. Sarah Smith £230,000-£234,999 (up from £225,000-£229,999)
=36. Jo Whiley £230,000-£234,999 (down from £245,000-£249,999)
39. Simon Jack £225,000-£229,999 (down from £240,000-£244,999)
=40. Rachel Burden £220,000-£224,999 (no change)
=40. Katie Razzall £220,000-£224,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
=42. Mark Easton £210,000-£214,999 (up from £205,000-£209,999)
=42. Orla Guerin £210,000-£214,999 (up from £195,000-£199,999)
=42. Stephen Sackur £210,000-£214,999 (up from £200,000-£204,999)
=45. Lyse Doucet £205,000-£209,999 (no change)
=45. Jonny Dymond £205,000-£209,999 (up from £195,000-£199,999)
=45. Christian Fraser £205,000-£209,999 (up from £195,000-£199,999)
=45. Alex Scott £205,000-£209,999 (down from £220,000-£224,999)
=45. Ben Thompson £205,000-£209,999 (down from £225,000-£229,999)
=50. Matthew Amroliwala £200,000-£204,999 (up from £195,000-£199,999)
=50. Ben Brown £200,000-£204,999 (up from £185,000-£189,999)
=50. Jane Hill £200,000-£204,999 (up from £178,000-£184,999)
=50. Lucy Hockings £200,000-£204,999 (up from £190,000-£194,999)
=50. Sally Nugent £200,000-£204,999 (up from £195,000-£199,999)
=50. Chris Sutton £200,000-£204,999 (up from £190,000-£194,999)
=56. Owain Wyn Evans £195,000-£199,999 (down from £200,000-£204,999)
=56. Maryam Moshiri £195,000-£199,999 (up from £185,000-£189,999)
=58. Sally Bundock £190,000-£194,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
=58. Craig Charles £190,000-£194,999 (up from £185,000-£189,999)
=58. Annita McVeigh £190,000-£194,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
=58. John Simpson £190,000-£194,999 (no change)
=58. Charlie Stayt £190,000-£194,999 (no change)
=63. Caitriona Perry £185,000-£189,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
=63. Sumi Somaskanda £185,000-£189,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
=65. Gary Davies £178,000-£184,999 (down from £200,000-£204,999)
=65. Charlie Hedges £178,000-£184,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
=65. Steven Lai £178,888-£184,999 (not listed in 2023/24)
* The list does not include people who are paid through independent production companies or the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios.
