Following Scott Mills’ exit from the BBC and Gary Lineker also veering away from the organisation, their huge salaries have come into question with us now asking – are BBC presenters paid too much?
Greg James is among the BBC’s biggest earners(Image: PA)
Scott Mills waved goodbye to his monster pay packet after he was sacked by the BBC earlier this year. The Mirror revealed the presenter was axed over his “personal conduct” involving a historic relationship, after the BBC learned the alleged victim in a 2017 police investigation had been under 16.
But prior to his exit, his salary had jumped up from £355,000-£359,999 to a whopping £745,000-£749,999. Despite his huge wage making him the biggest on-air earner, others are also taking home a pretty penny.
Radio 1’s Greg James has seen his pay rise by at least £10k to £440,000-£444,999 from last year, when he got between £425,000 and £429,999. In Northern Ireland, Stephen Nolan, who hosts a number of shows, has seen his pay rise £20,000 to be the third highest earner behind Mills on £425,000-£429,999.
Other presenters on the big bucks include political presenter Laura Kuenssberg, who is the highest paid woman on the list. She enjoyed a £10,000 rise and is now on £405,000-£409,999 which is the same salary band as Radio 2 DJ Vernon Kay, who has seen his pay rise by £15,000.
But the pay packet is likely to eclipsed next year by that of new presenter Sara Cox. The star has recently taken over as the Radio 2 breakfast show host and is set to have a huge rise in her earnings.
Gary Lineker left the BBC a few months into the financial year at the end of the football season in May 2025. But the former Match of The Day host still managed to bag himself £325,000-£329,999 in his final months. It comes as he was previously the highest paid presenter at the organisation on an impressive £1.35m a year.
His pundit pal Alan Shearer, who appears on other broadcasters too, takes him between £390,000-£394,999 for his commitments to the BBC.
The figures come after BBC News in the past year faced particular editorial criticism. It was called out for issues involving calls of systemic bias, misleading editing, and misquoting of political figures including Donald Trump and Nigel Farage.
The report said: “While the BBC remains most used for news in the UK, trust in news providers including the BBC is under pressure. Perceptions for impartiality and accuracy have decreased, reflecting the impact of high-profile editorial issues during 2025/26.”
But who are the organisation’s top 10 earners? See the list below and let us know your thoughts; are BBC presenters paid too much?
BBC salaries top 10
1) Scott Mills £745,000-£749,999
2) Greg James £440,000-£444,999
3) Stephen Nolan £425,000-£429,999
4) = Laura Kuenssberg £405,000-£409,999
4) = Vernon Kay £405,000-£409,999
6) Alan Shearer £390,000-£394,999
7) Justin Webb £375,000-£379,999
8) Naga Munchetty £360,000-£364,999
9) Fiona Bruce £345,000-£349,999
10) Sophie Raworth £340,000-£344,999
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
