Scott Mills has emerged as the BBC’s highest earner in the corporation’s latest annual pay list, after taking home between £745,000 and £749,999 in the year ending March 2026.
The figure marks a dramatic rise for the former Radio 2 presenter, who had previously sat much lower on the list with a reported salary band of £355,000 to £359,999. His latest package covered his work on the Radio 2 Breakfast show, the Pop: Top 10 podcast with Rylan Clark, and other public-facing BBC commitments.
But the release of the figures has arrived in especially sensitive circumstances. Mills was dismissed earlier this year before reports emerged that the Metropolitan Police had previously investigated a historic serious allegation. He was questioned under caution in 2018, while the Crown Prosecution Service rejected the case in 2019 because of a lack of evidence. Mills has maintained he was unfairly dismissed and is now taking legal action against the BBC.
The BBC’s latest report therefore created two headline stories at once: one about the scale of star salaries funded by the licence fee, and another about the fallout from Mills’ departure during a difficult period for the corporation.
1) Former BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills earned between £745,000 and £749,999
2) BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James earned between £440,000 and £444,999
3) Northern Irish presenter Stephen Nolan had a salary of between £425,000 and £429,999
Radio 1 presenter Greg James was listed as the second-highest paid on-air figure, earning between £440,000 and £444,999. Northern Irish broadcaster Stephen Nolan followed with a salary band of £425,000 to £429,999.
Laura Kuenssberg was the highest-paid female staff member, earning between £405,000 and £409,999. She shared fourth place with Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay, who was listed in the same salary band.
Match Of The Day pundit Alan Shearer was placed sixth, with earnings between £390,000 and £394,999. Justin Webb, Naga Munchetty, Fiona Bruce and Sophie Raworth completed the rest of the top ten, while four women appeared in the top ten overall – one more than the previous year.
Former footballer Gary Lineker, once the BBC’s best-paid star, fell sharply down the list after leaving the corporation. His latest reported earnings were between £325,000 and £329,999, placing him fifteenth, compared with a previous salary band above £1.35million.
Zoe Ball, who had been one of the BBC’s top earners in the previous year, no longer appears on the list after stepping away from her Radio 2 Breakfast role. She is now set for a new chapter outside the corporation.
4=) Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay earned £405,000 to £409,999 in the latest BBC pay list
4=) Laura Kuenssberg also earned £405,000 to £409,999, up from £395,000 to £399,999
6) Match Of The Day football pundit Alan Shearer was paid between £440,000 and £444,999
The BBC is required to publish salary bands for staff paid more than £178,000 from licence fee revenue. However, the list does not include every famous face viewers may associate with BBC programmes, because stars paid through independent production companies or BBC Studios are excluded.
BBC deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said the corporation had made “remarkable progress” on salaries, arguing that the number of talents above the £500,000 threshold had fallen significantly in recent years. He also said total presenter costs had been reduced by around £20million over seven years.
Even so, the annual pay list has landed at a challenging moment. The BBC has faced criticism over a series of editorial and broadcasting controversies, with chairman Samir Shah acknowledging that such mistakes can affect public confidence in the organisation and trust in its journalism.
Those issues include mistakes linked to major broadcasts and documentary output, as well as wider questions over how quickly and transparently the BBC responds when things go wrong.
For Mills, the pay list is likely to keep his name in the spotlight as his legal battle with the broadcaster continues. Friends of the presenter reportedly believe he was treated unfairly, while the BBC has faced questions over what it knew and when.
The result is a pay report that feels bigger than a simple ranking of famous names. It has opened up debate about star salaries, licence fee value, internal accountability and the pressure facing one of Britain’s most closely watched public institutions.
With Scott Mills at the top, Gary Lineker sliding down the list, and familiar BBC names still earning six-figure sums, the latest figures have once again placed the broadcaster’s biggest stars under a very public microscope.
