Gary Lineker, Zoe Ball and Huw Edwards are among the 10 highest paid BBC stars who took a pay cut in last year – but Scott Mills and Greg James both received salary rises, the corporation’s annual report reveals.
Match of the Day host Lineker is still the BBC‘s highest earning on-air talent taking home between £1,360,000 and £1,364,999.
Ball comes in second with a £1,130,000 to £1,134,999 salary between 2020 and 2021.
This is despite both stars taking pay cuts. Lineker slashed his £1.75million pay package by £400,000 as part of a five-year deal in December.
Gary Lineker is still the BBC’s highest earning on-air talent – despite taking a £400,000 pay cut last year
Zoe Ball remains the broadcaster’s second highest paid talent after asking for a reduction in her pay when agreeing a new two-year deal as Radio 2’s breakfast host
BBC rich list 2021 top ten
1. Gary Lineker – £1,360,000- £1,364,999
2. Zoe Ball – £1,130,000-£1,134,999
3. Steve Wright- £465,000-£469,999
4. Huw Edwards – £425,000- £429,999
5. Fiona Bruce – £405,000-£409,999
6. Stephen Nolan – £405,000-£409,999
7. Lauren Laverne – £395,000-£399,999
8. Vanessa Feltz – £390,000-£394,999
9. Alan Shearer – £390,000-£394,999
10. Scott Mills – £375,000-£379,999
Ball also took a reduction in her pay when agreeing a new two-year deal as Radio 2’s breakfast host because she felt ‘uncomfortable’ about her £1million rise.
The remaining three stars in the top five – Steve Wright, Huw Edwards and Question Time anchor Fiona Bruce – are all earning less than they did in 2019 to 2020.
But Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills has received a pay rise, and appears on the top ten list for the first time with a salary of between £375,000 and £379,999.
And his colleague Greg James earned £310,000 to £314,999 – up from £229,999 one year prior.
The BBC today announced its highest earners list which shows staff wages dropped to £130million:
- Radio stars Scott Mills and Greg James had pay increases
- Gary Lineker, Zoe Ball, Huw Edwards and Steve Wright all had a cut in money earned
- Match of the Day host Lineker is still the BBC‘s highest earning on-air talent taking home between £1,360,000 and £1,364,999.
- Ball comes in second with a £1,130,000 to £1,134,999 salary between 2020 and 2021
- Lineker slashed his £1.75million pay package by £400,000 in December
- Ball also took a reduction in her pay when agreeing a new two-year deal as Radio 2’s breakfast host
Graham Norton has dropped off the list completely after leaving his Radio 2 Saturday show for Virgin Radio in December.
His replacement Claudia Winkleman is also missed off the list – with her salary from hosting Strictly Come Dancing not included because it is a BBC Studios production.
Overall, the corporation has cut the wage bill for its top talent by 10 per cent after some of its biggest names agreed to salary cuts or quit, its annual report for 2020/21 shows.
The total amount handed out to the biggest stars – on £150,000 or more – has dropped by more than £2million in the space of a year.
This means the corporation spent about £19.6million on its top stars, down from £21.7million the year before.
Last year, it was announced that Lineker had agreed to give up about £400,000 of his £1.75million pay package, as part of a five-year deal.
This was set to make Miss Ball the corporation’s highest paid star, but it then emerged that the Radio 2 presenter had asked to take a 28 per cent pay cut to £980,000 to reflect the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
This figure is lower than is listed in the 2020/21 annual report, which shows her earnings to be in the bracket of £1,130,000-£1,134,999 and which represents only a few months of Ball’s new salary deal – including the reduction the presenter requested.
A BBC spokeswoman said: ‘Zoe Ball is a world-class broadcaster hosting Radio 2’s flagship show and her professionalism and commitment to the Breakfast Show is extraordinary.
‘She’s hugely talented and has made the show her own, with many millions of listeners tuning in each morning to the nation’s most listened to Breakfast Show.’
Since 2017, the BBC has been made to publish the names of those earning more than £150,000 each year, a move instigated by the Government.
But pay packets made through BBC Studios, the broadcaster’s commercial arm, are not revealed.
Claudia Winkleman, who has replaced Norton as Radio 2’s Saturday host, does not feature on the list this year, with her salary from hosting Strictly Come Dancing also not included because it is also a BBC Studios production.
Huw Edwards, Fiona Bruce, Vanessa Feltz, Ken Bruce and Emily Maitlis have all seen their salaries reduced, while radio presenters Scott Mills and Greg James have seen increases.
The report says: ‘Covid-19 has made the on-air environment highly volatile, with delays to productions and the cancellation of live events, especially sport.
‘Despite this, we have ensured a stable gender split of 56:44.
‘We have demonstrated our ability to deliver improvement since initial publication, with further improvement expected in the forthcoming year as we move towards a 50:50 balance on a gender basis.’
It says that ‘significant reductions’ have been agreed with individuals who appear ‘towards the very top of this list’.
The report covers the first six months of BBC director-general Tim Davie’s tenure.
Mr Davie said: ‘The BBC has delivered outstanding content and value to audiences in extraordinary circumstances this year.
‘I am proud of all we have achieved to inform, educate and entertain the Nation in record numbers during the pandemic.
But, Graham Norton has dropped off the list completely after leaving his Radio 2 Saturday show for Virgin Radio in December
His replacement Claudia Winkleman is also missed off the list – with her salary from hosting Strictly Come Dancing not included because it is a BBC Studios production
‘The BBC is responding to global competition and pressure on our finances.
‘But, we know we must do much more to ensure licence fee payers across the UK get best value from the BBC, to maintain their trust and provide a service they cannot do without.
‘I am absolutely focused on making the reforms we need to ensure the BBC is positioned to offer all audiences the best possible service well into the future.’