Former BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills was the corporation's highest earner until his sacking in March, earning between £745,000 and £749,999 for the year ending March 2026, the BBC's Annual Report revealed. The 53-year-old lost his job after a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged serious sexual offences involving a boy under 16 between 1997 and 2000. He earned the salary for hosting the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, which he took over from Zoe Ball in January 2025.
Pay Drop for Gary Lineker and Departures
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 in the list. He had earned between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 in the previous report. Lineker left the BBC in May 2025, with his 2025/2026 earnings coming from work on Match Of The Day and other football coverage. Zoe Ball, second on last year's list, no longer features; she will present an afternoon show on Greatest Hits Radio from September.
Top 10 Highest-Paid BBC Stars
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 of between £425,000 and £429,999. BBC political journalist Laura Kuenssberg was the highest-paid female staff member, earning between £405,000 and £409,999, placing her fourth jointly with Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay. Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer saw his pay decrease from between £440,000 and £444,999 last year to between £390,000 and £394,999, making him sixth. Journalist Justin Webb earned between £375,000 and £379,999 (seventh), Naga Munchetty between £360,000 and £364,999 (eighth), Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce between £345,000 and £349,999 (ninth), and journalist Sophie Raworth between £340,000 and £344,999 (tenth). Four women featured in this year's top 10, up from three last year.
BBC's Progress on Salary Reduction
Deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said ahead of the report's release that there had been 'remarkable progress' on salaries, with talent above the £500,000 threshold reduced by 50% over the past seven years. He stated: '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.'
The list does not include people paid through independent production companies or BBC Studios. The BBC is required to declare salaries of on-air and off-air staff receiving more than £178,000 from licence fee revenue in the year.
