GARY Lineker and Zoe Ball remain the BBC's highest-earning stars - with scandal-hit Huw Edwards making the top three despite being off-air. Match of the Day presenter Gary, 63, remains top of the list having stayed within the same bracket of £1,350,000 - £1,354,999. 6 Huw Edwards is listed as earning £475,000 – £479,999 despite being off-air most of the year Credit: Splash 6 Gary Lineker remains the highest-paid BBC star Credit: Alamy 6 Zoe Ball retained her spot in second on the list of high-earners Credit: Getty 6 He is followed by Radio 2 host Zoe, although she took a slight cut.
Her salary now falls in the bracket £950,000 - £954,999, down from £980,000 - £984,999. Edwards, who quit the BBC after 40 years in April, was listed as earning £475,000 - £479,999, a rise from the £435,000 - £439,999 bracket a year earlier. It comes despite the newsreader having been suspended on full pay over allegations he paid £35,000 to a young person who sent him explicit images.
The BBC's annual salary report covers the period from April 2023 to March 31, 2024. This means Edwards received the salary despite being off-air from July 2023. He officially parted ways with the Beeb in April.
The BBC said Edwards had resigned on "medical advice" and confirmed he had not been paid off as part of his departure. Radio 1 breakfast host Greg James is the fourth-highest earner with £415,000 - £419,999, up from £395,000 - £399,999. Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce received a jump in pay to £405,000 - £409,999, up from £395,000 - £399,999.
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Four women make up the top 10, the same as last year, with Naga Munchetty replacing Sophie Raworth. The report comes as BBC boss Tim Davie has apologised and issued a stern warning to Strictly stars amid the ongoing scandal. Breaking his silence on alleged abusive behaviour on the show, the Director-General of the channel said: "The line should never be crossed".
Admitting he was "disappointed" by the complaints, he added: "I’m very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive." Some of the corporation's big-hitters do not feature on newly-released list. This is because BBC Studios, the BBC's commercial arm, does not have to publish its own stars' salaries.
It means the sums taken by the likes of Graham Norton, Michael McIntyre and Bradley Walsh remain undisclosed. Strictly presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly - along with judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke - have also not been revealed. Actors and other staff behind the corporation's most notable shows, such as Doctor Who and Eastenders, are also absent from the list.
Writing in the report, Mr Davie added: "This year was at times a difficult one for the BBC, and this Report highlights the challenges we have had to navigate – whether competitive, financial or in terms of the intense scrutiny we frequently face. Read more on the Scottish Sun 'ENTITLED' 'Just go away' say NC500 locals as they blast campervan driver's parking WARM UP Scotland heats up in 21C sunshine this week as experts reveal summer update "But it also demonstrates that the BBC remains right at the heart of British national life, as it has been for over 100 years. "Our focus remains firmly on building a BBC for the future that can deliver crucial benefits for the UK at a critical time – to help support a healthy democracy, a thriving creative economy, and a strong society.
" Top BBC stars' 2023/24 salaries Gary Lineker, £1,350,000 - £1,354,999 Zoe Ball, £950,000 - £954,999 Huw Edwards, £475,000 - £479,999 Greg James, £415,000 - £419,999 Fiona Bruce, £405,000 - £409,999 Stephen Nolan, £405,000 - £409,999 Lauren Laverne, £395,000 - £399,999 Alan Shearer, £380,000 - £384,999 Nick Robinson, £345,000 - £349,999 Naga Munchetty, £345,000 - £349,999 6 Naga Munchetty has re-entered the top 10 following a pay rise Credit: PA:Press Association 6 Alan Shearer has taken a pay cut Credit: PA.
