DJ Scott Mills was the highest-paid presenter at the BBC in the last financial year, earning around £745,000 before his dismissal in March 2026, according to the corporation's latest annual report. Mills's earnings included his time hosting the Radio 2 breakfast show and other BBC projects, such as the 'Scott & Rylan's Pop: Top 10' podcast. His pay represented a substantial increase from the £355,000 he earned in the preceding financial year, when he transitioned to the breakfast slot.
Mills's departure from the BBC came after allegations surfaced in March concerning historical sexual offences involving a teenager in the late 1990s. A police investigation, initiated in 2016, concluded in 2019 without charges due to insufficient evidence. Mills stated he fully cooperated with the inquiry. Sara Cox has since taken over the Radio 2 breakfast show, with the BBC yet to announce a permanent replacement for her previous teatime slot.
The annual report also revealed a continuing decline in TV licence sales. The number of active licences fell by 539,000 last year, contributing to a total drop of two million over the past five years. In 2020-21, there were 25.3 million licences in force, which decreased to 23.3 million last year. This trend raises ongoing questions about the BBC's funding model and its future.
While Mills topped the list for the most recent financial year, other prominent figures among the BBC's highest earners included Greg James, Stephen Nolan, Laura Kuenssberg, Vernon Kay, and Alan Shearer. Notably, Gary Lineker's reported earnings saw a significant reduction after he left the BBC last summer, following an incident involving an Instagram post. His former role on 'Match of the Day' is now shared by Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, and Kelly Cates, whose combined earnings are considerably less than Lineker's previous salary.
The published list of top earners provides a partial view of talent compensation at the BBC, as it only includes individuals paid directly by the corporation. Many well-known personalities, such as Claudia Winkleman and Graham Norton, are often paid through production companies and therefore do not appear on this specific salary report.