London – Match of the Day host Gary Lineker has agreed a £400 000 pay cut, the BBC has revealed as it publishes the latest list of its best-paid presenters.
Lineker was the highest-earning star with an unchanged salary of £1.75m in the 2019/20 financial year.
But he has since signed a new contract, which will see that fee cut by 23 per cent.
That means he could earn less than Zoe Ball next year. The Radio 2 presenter has seen her pay rise by £1m since taking over the breakfast show in 2019.
Fiona Bruce and Lauren Laverne have also moved into the top 10 of the highest-paid stars, which features four women for the first time. Vanessa Feltz is also among the top earners, the corpration’s annual report says.
However, many stars do not appear on the list because the corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Studios, does not have to publish its talent spend.
All ten of the top-earning presenters on this year’s list are white, although the BBC’s director general Tim Davie said 18 per cent of those making more than £150 000 were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, up from 12 per cent four years ago.
“We made good progress, if you look across the industry we’re in a good place, but we’ve got work to do,” Davie said.
And while 26.5 per cent of actors and presenters were from BAME backgrounds, it was a different story behind the camera, with 9.8% of production staff from ethnic minorities.
The report also showed 12.3 per cent of BBC leaders were BAME, below its 15 per cent target for 2020.
Lineker’s new salary will be published on next year’s list. Director general Tim Davie described the former England player as a brilliant broadcaster and said his new five-year deal was a great example of the “best talent and the best value”.
“And before you ask, Gary knows his responsibility to the BBC in terms of his use of social media,” Davie added, referring to social media rules for BBC staff and presenters that are expected to be announced soon.
Lineker, a prolific tweeter who frequently discusses his political views online, said the BBC “recognise that I tweet carefully and will continue to do so”, and sent a message to “the haters” on Twitter. (BBC)
