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BBC pay list 2025: Full list of salaries as Gary Lineker tops highest paid for 8th time

Zoe Ball is also high up on the list, after leaving the Radio 2 breakfast show in December.

Gary Lineker on the red carpet, smiling while wearing a grey suit and black tie.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Published: Tuesday, 15 July 2025 at 12:32 pm

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For the eighth year in a row, Gary Lineker has topped the BBC's annual report of its highest-paid stars and their salaries.

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Lineker, who hosted Match of the Day, recently stood down from his role at the BBC earlier than expected, after controversy surrounding his social media activity.

His salary for 2025 was between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999, unchanged from last year's list.

Meanwhile, Zoe Ball, who recently left her specific BBC role as the host of the Radio 2 breakfast show, also ranked highly on the list, with a salary of between £515,000 - £519,999. She left the show in December and now hosts the show on Saturday afternoons.

Other notable figures in the top five include football icon Alan Shearer at number three, Radio 1 presenter Greg James in fourth place, and political correspondent Nick Robinson and newsreader/presenter Fiona Bruce in joint fifth place.

As always, this list does not include every presenter and actor seen on the BBC, as many are employed by BBC Studios, the BBC's commercial arm. BBC Studios does not have a requirement to publish its own stars' salaries.

Zoe Ball smiling, with her eyes looking upwards. She is wearing a black top and is posing in front of a grey background.

Zoe Ball. BBC/Ray Burmiston

BBC Studios produces shows such as The Graham Norton Show, explaining Norton's absence from the list, while a number of other BBC shows are co-produced with international financing, such as Industry and Doctor Who. Therefore, the stars of those series also wouldn't appear.

Read more:

The full list of the BBC's highest-paid stars and their salaries for 2025 is available in full below.

BBC pay 2025 – Full list of salaries and highest-paid stars revealed

You can see the full list of top earners out of on-air talent, and their salaries within a range, below.

Close up of Greg James focusing on something off screen, with a neutral white background.

BBC Radio 1 star Greg James appears high on the list. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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