The BBC has revealed its 10 highest-earning presenters, with Gary Lineker taking the top spot for the sixth consecutive year.
The Match of the Day host, who earns £1,350,000-£1,354,999, is once again the only star to be on a seven-figure salary.
BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show host Zoe Ball is the second-highest earner, on £980,000-£985,000, and is one of four women who made it into the top 10 list.
Lineker’s Match Of The Day colleague Alan Shearer is in third place, with a salary of £445,000 – £449,999, dropping from £450,000-£454,999 last year.
Huw Edwards is the highest-earning BBC News presenter and moves into the top five of the pay chart. His pay rose from £415,000 last year up to £440,000.
The salaries of the corporation’s top names have been revealed while the BBC is under pressure over allegations an unnamed presenter paid a teenager for explicit images.
The BBC has suspended a male member of staff after The Sun newspaper reported that he paid a young person around £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for explicit images.
Who are the BBC’s highest earners?
Here is a list of the BBC’s top 10 earners for the 2022-23 financial year:
Gary Lineker |
£1,350,000-£1,354,999 |
Zoe Ball |
£980,000-£985,000 |
Alan Shearer |
£445,000-£450,000 |
Huw Edwards |
£435,000-£440,000 |
Stephen Nolan |
£400,000-£405,000 |
Fiona Bruce |
£395,000-£400,000 |
Greg James |
£395,000-£400,000 |
Ken Bruce |
£390,000-£395,000 |
Lauren Laverne |
£390,000-£395,000 |
Sophie Raworth |
£365,000-£370,000 |
Have the BBC’s top salaries changed compared to last year?
The salaries of the top 10 highest on-air earners are notably lower on average than last year. While the majority of the high earners made more than £400,000 in 2021/22, this year, a significant number earn less than £400,000.
This could be down to a large number of big-name presenters having left the BBC since last year.
Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel, and Andrew Marr all left to host podcasts and radio shows for Global. Vanessa Feltz, who made the top 10 last year, earning £400,000 for BBC radio presenting, left to present a new show for News UK’s TalkTV.
Question Time’s Fiona Bruce was one of two top 10 presenters who saw her salary decrease, down £15,000 from last year.
Alan Shearer also saw his salary drop: he own earns £445,000 – £449,999 compared to £450,000-£454,999 last year.
Huw Edwards, Lauren Laverne, Sophie Raworth, Ken Bruce, and Greg James all saw their salaries increase.
Laverne’s salary was up £10,000, Raworth’s increased by £60,000 and Edwards’ went up by £15,000.
Meanwhile, Ken Bruce and James both saw a salary increase of £5,000.
