THE BBC HAS released the names of its highest paid on-air talent, with Gary Lineker topping the list for the sixth year in a row.
He is the only one whose earnings surpass £1 million, with the sports pundit taking in £1,345,999 in the year 2022/23 from the UK’s national broadcaster, according to its annual report.
Four women are among the top 10 earners.
Here’s the full list:
The BBC said that the list “does not paint a full picture as the organisation does not have to make public the salaries of stars who are paid through its commercial arm BBC Studios or independent production companies”.
Broadcast journalist Lineker was paid between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 for work including Match Of The Day, coverage of the World Cup 2023 and Sports Personality Of The Year.
In 2018, when Lineker first topped the list, he was making between £1,750,000 and £1,759,999, but has since taken a voluntary pay cut.
His 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.
Zoe Ball continues to be the broadcaster’s second highest paid talent, and the highest paid woman with a salary of between £980,000 and £984,999 for her Radio 2 breakfast show and a Radio 2 tribute to Terry Wogan.
Huw Edwards is the corporation’s highest paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of £435,000 – £439,999, up from £410,000 – £414,000 last year, putting him fourth on the list.
The other women on the list are Question Time’s Fiona Bruce, with a pay bracket of £395,000 – £399,000, down £15,000 from last year; Desert Island Discs presenter Lauren Laverne, with a bracket of £390,000 – £394,999, up £10,000, and Sophie Raworth with £365,000-£369,999, up £60,000.
Radio star Stephen Nolan is the fifth highest paid person on the list, earning £400,000 – £404,999.
Ken Bruce, who left the BBC earlier this year after 31 years at the helm of the Radio 2 mid-morning weekday slot, was up £5,000, to £390,000-£394,999.
He is new to the top 10 this year along with Laverne and Raworth as Steve Wright, Vanessa Feltz and Scott Mills were pushed out of the list after leaving their respective BBC shows.
Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, said: “I am proud of the content we have delivered – the very best of the BBC – from royal programming to wonderful sporting moments and coverage of the Ukraine war. We have seen this again recently, with Eurovision, the Coronation and Glastonbury.
“It remains a period of change, financial pressures and great competition in the media market. Our task is not always easy and we have to make some difficult choices.
“But these are challenges we must embrace as we know that the BBC is needed now more than ever, in an age of polarisation and increasing disinformation.”
Additional reporting by the Press Association
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