Former BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills was the corporation’s highest earner in the 2026 financial year, earning between £745,000 and £749,999, before being sacked in March 2026, the BBC’s Annual Report has revealed.
The 53-year-old presenter took over the Radio 2 Breakfast Show from Zoe Ball in January 2025 and also worked on Pop: Top 10 shows and other public service engagements. His earnings more than doubled from the previous year, when he earned between £355,000 and £359,999 and was joint 11th highest earner alongside Naga Munchetty.
Mills sacked after police investigation revealed
Mills was dismissed by the BBC shortly before it emerged that the Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into him in 2016 over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a boy under 16 between 1997 and 2000.
The Southampton-born presenter’s rapid rise to the top of the pay list was followed by his abrupt departure, marking a dramatic fall from grace.
Gary Lineker drops to 15th after leaving BBC
Former England footballer Gary Lineker, once the BBC’s highest-paid star, earned between £325,000 and £329,999 for the year to March 2026, placing him 15th. He left the BBC in May 2025. In the previous year, his salary was between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999.
Lineker’s 2025/2026 earnings came from his work on Match Of The Day and other football coverage.
Other high earners and departures
Zoe Ball, who was second on last year’s highest-paid list, no longer features. She will present an afternoon show on Greatest Hits Radio from September.
BBC deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said there had been “remarkable progress” on salaries, with talent earning above £500,000 reduced by 50% over the past seven years. He added: “If you look at all our on-air presenter costs over the last seven years, they’ve come down by about £20 million pounds, so we have been focused on it, there is always a balancing act. We want to be a broadcaster that can attract the best talent, but we’re also very mindful of the financial pressures that we’re facing. But I think we’re striking that balance very, very carefully, and I think you’ll see that downward trend continuing in the months to come.”
Top 10 earners list
The second-highest-paid staff member was BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James, earning between £440,000 and £444,999. Third was Northern Irish radio presenter Stephen Nolan, with a salary between £425,000 and £429,999. Fourth was journalist Laura Kuenssberg, the highest-paid female staff member, earning between £405,000 and £409,999, joint with Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay.
Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer saw his pay decrease from between £440,000 and £444,999 last year to between £390,000 and £394,999, placing him sixth. Seventh was journalist Justin Webb with a salary between £375,000 and £379,999, and eighth was Naga Munchetty with between £360,000 and £364,999.
The top 10 was rounded off by Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce, earning between £345,000 and £349,999 in ninth, and journalist Sophie Raworth in 10th with between £340,000 and £344,999.
Four women featured in this year’s top 10, up from three last year. The list does not include people paid through independent production companies or BBC Studios. The BBC is required to declare salaries of staff earning more than £178,000 from licence fee revenue.
