BBC presenter salaries 2024: Ball and a baller top the list again

The most eagerly anticipated day in the calendar of BBC licence payers is upon us. Today is the corporation’s annual report day, which also means we find out who among the corporation’s presenting staff is pocketing the most of our cash in their take-home pay.

There is, once again, no change at the top this year. Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker retains the top spot as the corporation’s top earner with £1.35m, about the same as last year, followed by Radio 2 breakfast host Zoe Ball with £950,000 – a slight, circa £30k pay cut compared to 2022-23.

After that, it’s a huge drop off to Huw Edwards in a distant third, appearing for what seems likely to be the last time on the list after he left the Beeb in April on “medical advice.” Edwards managed to pocket a £40,000 pay rise in his final year, though with £475,000-£479,999 to his name he’s some way behind the untouchable Lineker/Ball pairing.

Greg James, Stephen Nolan and Fiona Bruce also had pay rises, while another Match of the Day presenter, Alan Shearer, earned £65,000 less than last year on £380,000. He took home £445,000 in 2022/23

The ongoing Bolton takeover of Radio 2 was marked by the presence of both Vernon Kaye and Sarah Cox in the £300k+ field. Perhaps surprisingly, the ubiquitous Paddy McGuinness wasn’t with them, though that’s down to the BBC’s accounting practices rather than his meagre earnings. The corporation does not have to disclose the salaries of stars who are paid through production companies like BBC Studios, which is classed as a commercial entity, which means McGuinness joins a list which also includes Michael McIntyre, Bradley Walsh, Alex Jones, Claudia Winkleman, Romesh Ranganathan, Alexander Armstrong, Richard Osman, Lord Sugar and Graham Norton whose salaries we can only imagine.

The wage revelations are unlikely to go unscrutinised. The BBC expects to make around 500 job cuts by March 2026, with today’s annual report emphasising the need for a “leaner, more agile” BBC. Launching the report, BBC chief Tim Davie warned of a “difficult” year ahead as licence fee income continues to decline against a backdrop of rising prices. This despite the BBC’s digital services recording a record-breaking year and BBC Commercial posting a hefty £199m profit.

Below is the list of presenters who earned £178,000 or more, according to the BBC’s latest accounts. For those earning £300k or more, 2022/23 salaries are also given in brackets where available:

£300k and above:

• Gary Lineker – £1,350,000-£1,354,999 (£1,350,000-£1,354,999)
  Match of the Day, Premier League, FA Cup, Sports Personality of the Year

• Zoe Ball – £950,000-£954,999 (£980,000-£984,999)
  Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Breakfast Show

• Huw Edwards – £475,000-£479,999 (£435,000-£439,999)
  News at Six and News at Ten, News Channel and news specials
  
• Greg James – £415,000- £419,999 (£395,000- £399,999)
  Radio 1 Breakfast Show

• Stephen Nolan – £405,000-£409,999 (£400,000-£404,999)
  The Nolan Show on Radio Ulster, Nolan Live on BBC One (Northern Ireland), The Stephen Nolan Show on 5 Live

• Fiona Bruce – £405,000 – £409,000 (£395,000-£399,999)
  Question Time and presenting on BBC One

• Lauren Laverne – £395,000 – £399,999 (£390,000 – £394,999)
  BBC 6 Music Breakfast Show, Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs

• Alan Shearer – £380,000-£384,999 (£445,000-£449,999)
  Match of the Day: Premier League, FA Cup

• Naga Munchetty – £345,000 – £349,999 (£335,000 – £339,999)
  BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 Live’s Naga Munchetty Programme, Panorama

• Nick Robinson – £345,000 – £349,000 (£275,000 – £279,999)
  Radio 4’s Today programme, Radio 4’s Political Thinking podcast

• Mishal Husain – £340,000 – £344,999 (£315,000 – £319,999)
  Radio 4’s Today programme, BBC One presenting, Today debates for Radio 4 and other projects

• Sophie Raworth – £325,000 – £329,999 (£365,000 – £369,999)
  BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten

• Laura Kuenssberg – £325,000 – £329,999 (£305,000 – £309,999)
  Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, documentary series

• Vernon Kay – £320,000 – £324,999 (N/A)
  Radio 2 mid-morning show, Radio 2’s Dance Sounds of the 90s

• Justin Webb – £320,000 – 324,999 (£280,000 – £284,999)
  Radio 4’s Today programme, Americast podcast

• Sara Cox – £315,000 – 319,999 (£285,000 – £289,999)
  Radio 2 Drivetime show

• Scott Mills – £315,000 – £319,999 (£300,000 – £304,999)
  Radio 2 early afternoon show

• Clive Myrie – £310,000 – £314,999 (£285,000 – £289,999)
  BBC News at One, Six and Ten, international deployments

• Amol Rajan – £310,000 – £314,999 (£335,000 – £339,999)
  Radio 4’s Today programme, Amol Rajan Interviews, Radio 4’s Rethink, The Today Podcast

£200-300k:

• Nicky Campbell – £295,000 – £299,999. Radio 5 Live Nicky Campbell Show, Different
• Victoria Derbyshire -£295,000 – £299,999 Newsnight, Ukrainecast podcast
• Ros Atkins – £290,000 – £294,999 – Analysis Editor, The Media Show
• Evan Davis – £290,000 – £294,999 – Radio 4’s PM and Radio 4’s The Bottom Line
• Jeremy Vine – £285,000 – £289,999 – Lunchtime show on Radio 2
• Reeta Chakrabarti – £270,000 – £274,999 – News at One, Six and Ten
• Tina Daheley – £270,000 – £274,999 – Radio 2 Breakfast Show, cover for Jeremy Vine, BBC One News Bulletins, BBC Breakfast
• Faisal Islam – £260,000 – £264,999 – Economics editor, Newsnight cover
• Chris Mason – £260,000 – £264,999 – Political editor
• Mark Chapman – £260,000 – £264,999 – Radio 5 Live Sport, Match of the Day 2, Challenge Cup
• Kirsty Wark – £250,000 – £254,999 – BBC Two’s Newsnight, Radio 4’s Start the Week, Lives Well Lived documentary, Archive on Four
• Sarah Montague – £245,000 – £249,999 – Radio 4’s World at One, HARDtalk cover
• Jo Whiley – £245,000 – £249,999 – Radio 2 evening show
• Jason Mohammad – £245,000 – £249,999 – Daily BBC Wales programme, Final Score, Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday
• Simon Jack – £240,000 – £244,999 – Business Editor, Radio 4 Today cover, podcasts
• Jeremy Bowen – £240,000 – £244,999 – International Editor
• Trevor Nelson – £235,000 – £239,999 – Radio 2’s Rhythm Nation, shows on 1Xtra
• Katya Adler – £230,000 – £234,999 – Europe Editor, The Global Story podcast
• Ben Thompson – £225,000 – £229,999 – BBC Business presentation, BBC Breakfast presentation, BBC News cover
• Martha Kearney – £225,000 – £229,999 – Radio 4’s Today programme
• Fergal Keane – £225,000 – £229,999 – Special Correspondent
• Jon Kay – £225,000 – £229,999 – BBC Breakfast, Radio 4 Pick of the Week, Radio 4 Saturday Live, Radio 4 Podcast Fairy Meadow
• Sarah Smith – £225,000 – £229,999 – North America Editor
• Alex Scott – £220,000 – £224,999 – Football Focus, Women’s Super League, Women’s World Cup 2023, Sports Personality of the Year
• Rachel Burden – £220,000 – £224,999 – 5Live Breakfast Show, BBC Breakfast, Panorama
• Rick Edwards – £215,000 – £219,999 – 5 Live Breakfast Show, Fighting Talk
• Mark Easton – £205,000 – £209,999 – Home Editor
• Lyse Doucet – £205,000 – £209,999 – Chief International Correspondent
• Steve Wright – £205,000 – £209,999 – Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs, Radio 2’s Pick of the Pops, cover shows on Radio 2
• Gary Davies – £200,000 – £204,999 – Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s, mid-morning Radio 2 show, Radio 2 cover
• Owain Wyn Evans – £200,000 – £204,999 – Radio 2 early breakfast show, additional BBC Radio 2 shows and events
• Stephen Sackur – £200,000 – £204,999 – HARDtalk interviews
• Louis Theroux – £200,000 – £204,999 – A range of programmes, podcasts and series

Below £200k:

£195,000 – £199,999

• Orla Guerin – Senior International Correspondent
• John McEnroe – Wimbledon coverage
• Sally Nugent – BBC Breakfast
• Matthew Amroliwala – BBC World News presentation, BBC News Channel
• Christian Fraser – BBC News Channel, Newsnight
• Jonny Dymond – Royal Correspondent, Radio 4’s The World This Weekend and The World at One, World Questions

£190,000 – £194,999

• Chris Sutton – BBC Radio 5 live Sport, 606, Football Focus, Final Score
• Jonathan Agnew – Cricket correspondent, television and radio cricket
• John Simpson – World Affairs editor, Unspun World with John Simpson
• Lucy Hockings – BBC News Channel presentation
• Charlie Stayt – BBC Breakfast presentation

£185,000 – £189,999

• Ben Brown – BBC News Channel, BBC News at One
• Maryam Moshiri – BBC News Channel
• Craig Charles – 6Music weekday afternoon show, 6Music Funk & Soul

£178,000 – £184,999

• Jane Hill – News at one, Six and Ten