- Gary Lineker remains the highest-paid BBC star
- Zoe Ball holds the second spot on the list
- More gender balance in the top 10 highest earners this year
Six men and four women comprise the top 10 highest-earning BBC stars for 2022-23, a change from last year’s seven men and three women. Among them are football commentator Alan Shearer, news presenter Fiona Bruce, and radio sensation Greg James.
The BBC has released its annual report, which includes information on the highest-paid stars, as executives cope with the aftermath of allegations made against a presenter.
Gary Lineker is once again the highest-paid broadcaster, earning between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 in 2022-23 for his work on Match Of The Day, Sports Personality Of The Year, the World Cup, and the FA Cup, the same sum as the previous year.
Zoe Ball, the host of Radio 2’s breakfast show, is second on the BBC’s list, earning between £980,001 and £984,999 for her work on the show and a Terry Wogan tribute. Similar to Lineker, her salary has remained unchanged over the past year.
Alan Shearer, news presenters Huw Edwards and Fiona Bruce, and radio personalities Lauren Laverne and Greg James are also among the highest earners in the top ten, which is a change from the previous year’s ratio of seven men to three women.
However, the list does not provide a complete picture because the BBC is not required to disclose the salaries of stars who are paid through its commercial arm BBC Studios, or independent production companies.
As a result, big names like Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly, Graham Norton, Alex Jones, and Michael McIntyre, as well as the top stars of shows like EastEnders, are conspicuously absent.
In the top 10, Edwards and Laverne, as well as former Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce and newsreader Sophie Raworth, saw pay increases from the previous year. However, salaries for the majority of the BBC’s top talent have remained the same or declined slightly due to ongoing scrutiny.
Edwards is the highest-paid newsreader at the corporation, with a salary range of £435,000 to £439,999, up from £410,000 to £414,000 last year. This places him fourth on the list, just behind Shearer, whose revenues fell from £450,000 to £454,999 in 2021-22 to £445,000 to £449,999 this year.
Ken Bruce, who departed the Radio 2 mid-morning weekday slot earlier this year after 31 years at the helm, saw his salary increase by £5,000, to between £390,000 and £394,999.
In addition to Laverne and Raworth, he is a newcomer to the top ten, as Steve Wright, Vanessa Feltz, and Scott Mills have fallen after departing their respective BBC shows.
Last July, Feltz left BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio London, earning between £400,000 and £404,999. In August, Mills ended his 24-year run on BBC Radio 1, but he continues to host the afternoon program on BBC Radio 2.
Lineker led the list for the first time in 2017-18 and will take a voluntary pay cut of £10,000 in 2020 in response to pressure from female employees for greater pay parity.
George Alagiah, Naga Munchetty, and Amol Rajan (all in the £335,000-£339,999 bracket), Laura Kuenssberg (£305,000-£309,999), Nicky Campbell, and Victoria Derbyshire (£295,000-£299,999) are among the other high earners this year.
The annual report also includes salary information for executives, with Tim Davie, the director general, earning between $525,000 and $529,999 in 2022-23.
“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,” said Mr. Davie upon the release of the figures. Recent examples include the Eurovision Song Contest, the Coronation, and Glastonbury.
“The media market continues to experience change, financial pressures, and intense competition. Our task is not always simple, and we must make some challenging decisions.
In an era of polarisation and growing disinformation, however, these are challenges we must accept because we know the BBC is required now more than ever.
