BBC Reveals Highest-Paid Stars, Including Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball

Zoe Ball was the second-highest earner, with £980,000.

The list does not include stars who are paid through the BBC's commercial arm or via independent production companies.

The BBC's annual report was published against a backdrop of turmoil for the corporation, including a highly-publicised dispute involving a presenter and an unnamed male presenter who is alleged to have paid for sexually explicit photos.

Some stars, such as Vanessa Feltz and Scott Mills, have dropped off the list after leaving the BBC.

There are also new entries, including Rick Edwards, who replaced Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live's breakfast show, and Victoria Derbyshire, who has been given a raise to present Newsnight.

The BBC has released its annual report, revealing the salaries of its top presenters and on-air talent.

The report shows that GREG JAMES earns the most, with a salary of £335,000 for hosting the breakfast show on Radio 1 and Radio 4's Rewinder.

SALLY NUGENT, host of BBC Breakfast, appears to make slightly less than her co-presenter JON KAY, who earns between £185,000-189,000.

Four women are in the top 10 this year, including BBC newsreader SOPHIE RAWORTH (£365,000) and 6Music and Desert Island Discs host LAUREN LAVERNE (£390,000).

News anchor HUW EDWARDS climbed from sixth to fourth place, with his salary up by £25,000 to £435,000.

The highest new entry in the list is ROS ATKINS, one of the hosts of BBC Radio 4's The Media Show, with a salary of £260,000.

However, many household names such as Michael McIntyre, Tess Daly, Paddy McGuinness, Jools Holland, and the Strictly judges are absent as they are paid through production companies.

The BBC's pay for top talent was at a six-year high last year, with income from the licence fee down from £3.8bn to £3.74bn.