BBC annual report: Stephen Nolan again among best paid presenters

Nolan’s show Peelers, for instance, is also made for the BBC by his independent production company Third Street Studios.

Some other high earners from previous years, including Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball, have left the BBC.

The BBC’s annual report has been published at a time when it is facing the need to make large savings and is planning to cut up to 2,000 jobs.

The report said while the BBC remains the UK’s leading brand for media, reaching 94% of adults on average per month, fewer than 80% of households pay the licence fee.

In a statement, the BBC Director-General Matt Brittin said it was “a moment of real jeopardy, not just for the BBC but for public service broadcasting and the UK as a whole.”

The BBC receives most of its funding from the £180-a-year TV licence, but Brittin has recently described that funding model as “no longer fit for purpose”.