Scott Mills was BBC’s highest earner before his sacking, new figures reveal | UK News

Former Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills was the BBC’s highest earner until he was sacked in March, latest figures reveal.

Mills, 53, earned between £745,000 and £749,999 for the year ending in March 2026, according to the corporation’s latest annual report.

He had presented the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show for just over a year, after taking over from Zoe Ball in January 2025.

Mills was sacked by the BBC shortly before it emerged that the Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into him in 2016 over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a boy aged under 16 between 1997 and 2000.

Mills’ rise to the top of the list knocks former England footballer Gary Lineker out of the top 10. Lineker had been the corporations top paid star for the last eight years.

Another celebrity out of the top 10 was Zoe Ball, last year’s second highest earner. She has since left the BBC, and will present on Greatest Hits Radio from September.

BBC political journalist Laura Kuenssberg was the highest-paid female staff member in the latest report.

She was one of four women on the list alongside Naga Munchetty, Fiona Bruce and Sophie Rawoth. It’s a slight improvement on last year’s list, which featured three women.

Vernon Kay – who hosts Radio 2’s most listened-to show according to RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) figures – was joint fourth on the list alongside Kuenssberg.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James, who is particularly popular with younger audiences, rose two places from last year and is this year’s second highest earner.

The third-highest paid was Northern Irish radio presenter Stephen Nolan.

The BBC is required to declare a list of salaries paid to people both on air and off air who receive more than £178,000 from licence fee revenue in the year.

However, the list does not include people who are paid through independent production companies or the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Studios.