Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball have topped the BBC rich list again this year, a new report shows today — as the corporation acknowledged ‘challenges’ with its workplace culture.
Match of the Day host Lineker left his job in May after being accused of posting an antisemitic trope on social media.
The 64-year-old’s £1.35 million salary made him the Beeb’s highest-paid star over the last year, according to the BBC’s annual report for 2024/25.
Radio 2 host Zoe Ball is the highest-paid woman at the corporation on £519,000, despite working part-time.
She left her full-time position as the station’s breakfast show host in December. Her replacement Scott Mills is on £359,999.
Meanwhile, it is the first time disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards, previously the highest-paid newsreader, has not appeared on the list.
He left the BBC last year after being convicted for possessing indecent images of children. Bosses have since tried to claw back money he made between the date of his arrest and when he stepped down, with little success.
Gary Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid star for the last time, after stepping down from Match of the Day earlier this year
Zoe Ball is the highest paid female star, despite working part time on Radio 2
Director-general Tim Davie and Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC, acknowledged ‘challenges’ with staff behaviour
Director-general Tim Davie said he was working to ‘transform our culture’.
‘This year brought major challenges in the form of the appalling Huw Edwards revelations along with further examples of truly unacceptable behaviours coming to light,’ he said.
‘An independent review into the BBC’s workplace culture produced a series of recommendations which we accepted in full.
‘We have since rolled out a comprehensive set of actions which directly respond to the challenge of these findings and kicked off a two-year programme of work to deliver real change in our workplace culture.’
Mr Davie confirmed there have been dismissals for bad behaviour since the action plan was launched in April.
However, these do not include TV chef Gregg Wallace, who has been banned from working at the BBC for inappropriate behaviour and comments, as he was not staff.
Mr Davie added he has a ‘vision’ of a BBC culture that is ‘kind, inclusive, safe and supportive…where everyone feels inspired and enabled to do their best work’.
Asked why he hasn’t resigned over recent scandals, he admitted mistakes had been made but said: ‘It’s certainly been a tough period, and there are some tough days, and this job is not one you take if you want a quiet life or a stress-free existence.
‘I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way, and I say that on a number of fronts.
‘I think there are moments when you have to do tough things, deal with mistakes, and get through it because you want to maintain your standards.’
BBC chairman Samir Shah backed the director-general, saying he had shown ‘strong, confident and decisive leadership in a very, very challenging environment’.
Mr Shah said there were ‘pockets in the organisation’ where bad behaviour has festered.
‘There are still places where powerful individuals on and off-screen can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable,’ he said.
He added the Beeb must act ‘with speed, be bolder and braver in our actions, and dial up our risk appetite in taking visible steps to stamp out unacceptable and inappropriate behaviours’.
Overall, BBC headcount has been cut by 10 per cent over the last year, and the corporation is on course to make its £700 million savings target by 2028. Licence fee income is also up £200m.
