Presenter pay reshuffle revealed in BBC’s annual disclosure
Scott Mills rose to the top of the BBC’s on-air earnings list for the year to March 2026 before his subsequent dismissal, according to figures published in the corporation’s latest report. The former Radio 2 host received between £745,000 and £749,999, overtaking previous leader Gary Lineker, who slid to 15th place on the new rankings.
Mills, who stepped into a new Radio 2 slot in January 2025 after Zoe Ball, fronted Pop: Top 10 shows alongside other public service work. He was later sacked by the BBC shortly before it became public that the Metropolitan Police had opened an investigation in 2016 into allegations of serious sexual offences involving a boy under 16, said to relate to the period 1997–2000. The report does not add further detail about the investigation.
BBC says star pay is trending down overall
Senior management stressed that the overall bill for on-air talent has been falling. Deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said the organisation has been pressing down on presenter costs while trying to maintain breadth and quality.
"If you look at all our on-air presenter costs over the last seven years, they’ve come down by about £20 million, so we have been focused on it, there is always a balancing act.
We want to be a broadcaster that can attract the best talent, but we’re also very mindful of the financial pressures that we’re facing.
But I think we’re striking that balance very, very carefully, and I think you’ll see that downward trend continuing in the months to come."
The BBC frames the annual disclosure as a transparency exercise, setting out pay bands for the most prominent presenters who are remunerated through the licence fee. Figures are presented in ranges rather than precise totals.
Lineker’s shift and other high-profile earners
Lineker, long the BBC’s best-paid presenter, left the corporation in May 2025. For the year to March 2026 he earned between £325,000 and £329,999, reflecting his work on Match of the Day and other football coverage during that period. The previous year he received between £1.35 million and £1.354 million, highlighting the scale of the change between reporting cycles.
Elsewhere on the list, Alan Shearer, the former England striker and Match of the Day pundit, ranked sixth. Laura Kuenssberg was the highest-paid woman at the corporation, placed fourth with an earnings band of £405,000 to £409,999, underscoring her senior role in political coverage.
| Name | Role/Notable work | 2025–26 earnings band | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Mills | Radio 2; Pop: Top 10; other public service work | £745,000–£749,999 | 1st |
| Gary Lineker | Match of the Day; football coverage | £325,000–£329,999 | 15th |
| Laura Kuenssberg | Political journalism | £405,000–£409,999 | 4th |
What this means for audiences in Islington
For viewers and listeners in Islington and across London, the disclosure offers a snapshot of how the BBC is balancing talent retention with public accountability. The data points to a reordering at the top, shaped by programme changes, departures and editorial decisions. Mills’ brief spell as the highest earner coincides with his expanded radio role before his dismissal; Lineker’s move down the list reflects his exit from the corporation for part of the year; and Kuenssberg’s pay band underlines the value the BBC places on its flagship political output.
These movements come amid an ongoing debate about the cost of public broadcasting and the justification for higher pay bands for prominent presenters. The leadership’s claim that overall on-air costs are down by around £20 million over seven years will be closely scrutinised as viewers judge whether the BBC is delivering range and quality within tighter budgets.
The key takeaways from the latest figures
- Scott Mills was the top on-air earner for 2025–26 before being sacked, on £745k–£749,999.
- Gary Lineker fell to 15th with £325k–£329,999, after leaving the BBC in May 2025.
- Management says total presenter costs have declined by about £20 million over seven years, with further reductions expected.
The BBC’s pay bands will continue to attract attention from licence fee payers, politicians and industry observers alike. For now, the numbers set out a clear trend: high-profile reshuffles and exits are reshaping the earnings hierarchy, even as the corporation insists the overall direction of travel on costs is downward.
