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Gary Lineker Stays Top Of BBC Star Salaries List

July 12, 2022

Gary Lineker is BBC's best-paid presenter.

The figures were published in the corporation's latest annual report, which also revealed a sharp drop in the time UK adults spend watching TV every day.
 
Average viewing dropped from eight hours 11 minutes in 2020/21 to seven hours 12 minutes in 2021/22, although part of that fall may be explained by people watching less than they did during the height of the pandemic.

The star salaries list does not include all presenters and actors because the corporation's commercial arm BBC Studios, which makes many of programmes, does not have to publish its talent spend. So pay for shows like Strictly Come Dancing are not included.

Seventy-four on-air people earning more than £150,000 were listed this year, with the gender split similar to last year - 41 men (55%) and 33 women (45%). Previous director general Tony Hall had pledged that the gap would be closed by 2020.

Radio 1 breakfast host Greg James is the only new entry in the top 10, with Huw Edwards the only name apart from Lineker in the top 10 to have seen a pay reduction. The news presenter's salary fell from £425,000 in 2020/21 to £410,000 in 2021/22.

Some had an increase, with Alan Shearer getting a £60,000 pay bump. He now takes home £450,000 a year for his work on football shows including Match of the Day.

Scott Mills, who is moving from Radio 1 to take up Steve Wright's afternoon slot on Radio 2 later this year, had an increase of £15,000. Wright also had a £15,000 pay rise, although his salary is likely to be reduced next year when he leaves his current daytime show.
 
There are no broadcasters from ethnic minority backgrounds in the top 10.

The wage bill for all on-air talent overall is down slightly at £129.8m. Last year it was £130m.

'Viewers want to see the best people'
BBC director general Tim Davie said some of the salary increases were down to "people this year taking on more responsibility and doing more shows".

He said the corporation was "showing restraint when the market is [being] driven by extreme hyperinflation".

He said the salary list was "a source of a lot of understandable attention", but added: "Actually if you step back, the actual amount paid for that group of talent, which only represents a tiny fraction of the 200,000-odd people who come on our airwaves every year... the return we get in terms of audience value is very strong.

"And actually our research shows people want to see the best people presenting and delivering for the BBC."
 
A number of high-profile broadcasters who have left the BBC during the last year still appear on the latest list, including former North America editor Jon Sopel, former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, and Andrew Marr, who said he was leaving the corporation for LBC to "get his voice back".

'Some regretted losses'
Mr Davie said: "There are obviously headlines around individuals and some regretted losses, but actually our number in terms of the people being retained in the BBC is high."

He added that there was "no shortage of demand" for top positions at the broadcaster, but stressed the importance of bringing "new talent" through the BBC, which would always mean a "degree of change".

The total bill for the BBC's executive board, including non-executives, was £4.3m, down from £4.8m in 2020/2021.

But as has already been announced, the BBC's director general Tim Davie has had a salary increase - from £494,000 to £522,000.

The BBC is facing cutbacks after the government announced in January that it would freeze the licence fee for two years.

Mr Davie told BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier this year that the settlement would "affect our frontline output". Asked what might be cut, he said "everything's on the agenda".



See the list in full








Source: BBC 
Image source: BBC