Gary Lineker has secured his position as the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent for the sixth consecutive year, with a salary ranging from £1,350,000 to £1,354,999. This sum includes his work on Match Of The Day, World Cup coverage, and Sports Personality Of The Year. Lineker’s impressive earnings put him well above the £1 million threshold, making him the only BBC star to achieve this feat in the 2022/2023 financial year. Despite the BBC’s efforts to increase diversity and equality, none of the top 10 highest earners are women, with Zoe Ball being the highest-paid female presenter with a salary ranging from £980,000 to £984,999 for her Radio 2 breakfast show and a Radio 2 tribute to Terry Wogan.
Meanwhile, the BBC is facing scrutiny over allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager for explicit images. The corporation has suspended a male member of staff in connection with the scandal, but has not publicly revealed the identity of the presenter. Several BBC stars, including Lineker, have denied being involved in the scandal.
Gary Lineker (Via Gary Lineker/Twitter)
Other notable figures on the BBC’s list of top earners include Alan Shearer, who earned between £445,000 and £449,999, and Huw Edwards, who is the corporation’s highest-paid newsreader with a salary ranging from £435,000 to £439,999. The list also includes a number of women, including Fiona Bruce, Lauren Laverne, and Sophie Raworth, who have all seen their salaries increase.
Despite the impressive earnings of many BBC stars, the corporation is facing financial pressures and great competition in the media market. In his statement on the salaries, BBC director-general Tim Davie acknowledged the challenges faced by the organization, stating that it is a period of “change, financial pressures and great competition in the media market.” However, he emphasized the importance of the BBC in an age of “polarisation and increasing disinformation.”
