The BBC has published its annual report including details of the highest paid stars, as bosses deal with the fallout from allegations made against a presenter.
Football star Gary Lineker is once again the broadcaster’s biggest earner, taking home between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 for his work on Match Of The Day, Sports Personality Of The Year, the World Cup and FA Cup in 2022-23 – the same amount as the previous year.
Zoe Ball, who presents Radio 2’s breakfast show, is second on the BBC list, earning between £980,000 and £984,999 for her work on the programme, plus a Terry Wogan tribute.
The top 10 is made up of six male and four female stars – a change from seven men and three women last year – with football commentator Alan Shearer, news presenters Huw Edwards and Fiona Bruce, and radio stars Lauren Laverne and Greg James also among the highest earners.
In the top 10, Edwards and Laverne, along with radio presenter Ken Bruce and newsreader Sophie Raworth saw increases in their pay from the previous year, although salaries for many have remained the same or dipped slightly amid ongoing scrutiny of the BBC over the amounts earned by its top talent.
Lineker first topped the list in 2017-18, taking a voluntary pay cut of £10,000 in 2020 after pressure from female staff for greater pay parity.
Other stars among the high earners this year include Steve Wright, George Alagiah, Naga Munchetty, Nicky Campbell, Scott Mills and Laura Kuenssberg.
The annual report also includes salary details for bosses, with director-general Tim Davie taking home between £525,000 and £529,999 in 2022-23.