Scott Mills was highest paid BBC star before sacking

BySteven McIntosh

Entertainment reporter

DJ Scott Mills was the highest paid presenter astatine the BBC earlier helium was sacked earlier this year, according to the corporation's yearly report.

The 53-year-old was paid astir £745,000 for hosting the Radio 2 meal amusement until his exit successful March, erstwhile it emerged helium had been accused of humanities intersexual offences. Mills co-operated with a constabulary probe and was not charged.

Other apical earners astatine the BBC past twelvemonth included Greg James, Stephen Nolan, Laura Kuenssberg, Vernon Kay and Alan Shearer, but Gary Lineker dropped importantly aft leaving 2 months into the fiscal year.

The latest yearly study besides shows the fig of TV licences successful unit dropped by 539,000 during the past fiscal year.

In total, the fig of TV licences has dropped by 2 cardinal successful the past 5 years - from 25.3m successful 2020-21 to 23.3m past year.

The yearly salaries database is acold from a implicit representation of what apical endowment astatine the BBC earn, arsenic the corp lone publishes the names of stars it pays directly.

A ample fig of household names, specified arsenic Claudia Winkleman, Michael McIntyre and Graham Norton, are missing from the list due to the fact that they are paid via accumulation companies.

As Mills was sacked by the BBC conscionable a fewer days abbreviated of the fiscal twelvemonth ending, the £745,000 listed successful the yearly study represents astir his afloat yearly salary.

That includes his tenure connected the Radio 2 meal amusement arsenic good arsenic different BBC work, including respective editions of Scott & Rylan's Pop: Top 10 podcast.

Sara Cox precocious took over arsenic the big of Radio 2's meal show, with the BBC yet to denote who volition permanently regenerate her astatine teatime connected the station.

In March, it emerged that Mills had been accused of superior intersexual offences involving a teen nether 16 successful the precocious 1990s.

A constabulary probe was launched successful 2016, which Mills said helium "fully co-operated" with, earlier it was closed successful 2019 aft prosecutors decided determination was insufficient grounds to bring charges.

Mills's wage successful his last twelvemonth was a important summation connected the £355,000 helium earned successful the erstwhile fiscal year, erstwhile helium hosted Radio 2's day amusement for 10 months and the meal amusement for two.

His predecessor astatine meal Zoe Ball was paid much than £1.36m during her archetypal twelvemonth presenting the Radio 2 meal amusement successful 2019.

However, Ball's wage reduced implicit the six years she was connected breakfast, and she earned conscionable implicit £950,000 connected her last afloat twelvemonth successful the job.

That means the BBC saved astir £200,000 erstwhile it replaced Ball with Mills. Ball nary longer appears connected the database and precocious near Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio.

For the past six years, Ball and erstwhile Match of the Day big Gary Lineker person topped the prima salaries list, but some exited their respective shows past year.

Lineker near the BBC past summertime aft sharing an Instagram reel that featured an antisemitic illustration, for which helium apologised. He has gone connected to motion caller contracts with ITV and Netflix.

His erstwhile relation connected Match of the Day was divided erstwhile helium near and the amusement is present hosted by 3 presenters, who are individually paid importantly little than Lineker was.

Mark Chapman was paid astir £335,000, Gabby Logan made £290,000, and Kelly Cates earned £215,000 - considerably little than Lineker's £1.3m adjacent erstwhile combined.

However, each of the caller trio's salaries correspond a wide assortment of sports presenting enactment crossed the BBC, not conscionable Match of the Day.

Laura Kuenssberg's wage accrued somewhat this year, taking successful her Sunday greeting programme and Weekend Newscast, arsenic good arsenic a play file connected the BBC News website.

On the Radio 4's flagship Today programme, Justin Webb is present the highest paid presenter, earning astir £375,000 for hosting that and Americast.

Nick Robinson's wage dropped by astir £80,000, successful a twelvemonth that saw the Today podcast, which helium co-hosted, travel to an end.

As usual, the prima salaries database does not supply the implicit representation of what apical endowment astatine the BBC earn.

Hundreds of large names are not listed due to the fact that they are paid via accumulation companies, alternatively than by the BBC directly.

As a result, stars specified arsenic Claudia Winkleman, Michael McIntyre, Graham Norton, Rylan Clark and Stacey Solomon are conscionable a fewer of the large stars who don't person their salaries published.

Alex Jones, Romesh Ranganathan, Lord Sugar, Bradley Walsh, Paddy McGuinness, the Strictly judges and the Dragons' Den investors are besides absent from the list.

The remaining names connected the database are celebrities and executives who are paid straight by the BBC supra the £178,000 threshold.

Meanwhile, immoderate stars who bash look are listed lone for immoderate of their BBC work.

Fiona Bruce, for example, made this year's apical 10 aft earning £345,000 for Question Time and quality bulletins, but not for hosting Antiques Roadshow.