Scott Mills was highest paid star before sacking

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Scott Mills was highest paid star before sackingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Scott Mills previously hosted the Radio 2 breakfast showBySteven McIntoshEntertainment reporterPublished10 minutes agoDJ Scott Mills was the highest paid presenter at the before he was sacked earlier this year, according to the corporation's annual report. The 53-year-old was paid around £745,000 for hosting the Radio 2 breakfast show until his exit in March, when it emerged he had been accused of historical sexual offences. Mills co-operated with a police investigation and was not charged.

Other top earners at the last year included Greg James, Stephen Nolan, Laura Kuenssberg, Vernon Kay and Alan Shearer, but Gary Lineker dropped significantly after leaving two months into the financial year. The latest annual report also shows the number of TV licences in force dropped by 539,000 to 23. 3 million during the last financial year.

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The annual salaries list is far from a complete picture of what top talent at the earn, as the corporation only publishes the names of stars it pays directly. A large number of household names, such as Claudia Winkleman, Michael McIntyre and Graham Norton, are missing from the list because they are paid via production companies. The top earners 2025-2026Image caption, Laura Kuenssberg (pictured interviewing Chancellor Rachel Reeves) was among the 's top earners1.

Scott Mills (£745,000-£749,999)2. Greg James (£440,000-£444,999)3. Stephen Nolan (£425,000-£429,999)4.

Laura Kuenssberg (£405,000-£409,999)=4 Vernon Kay (£405,000-£409,999)6. Alan Shearer (£390,000-£394,999)7. Justin Webb (£375,000-£379,999)8.

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Naga Munchetty (£360,000-£364,999)9. Fiona Bruce (£345,000-£349,999)10. Sophie Raworth (£340,000-£344,999)The above list includes on-air talent only, and not executives As Mills was sacked by the just a few days short of the financial year ending, the £745,000 listed in the annual report represents almost his full annual salary.

That includes his tenure on the Radio 2 breakfast show as well as other work, including several editions of Scott & Rylan's Pop: Top 10 podcast. Sara Cox recently took over as the host of Radio 2's breakfast show, with the yet to announce who will permanently replace her at teatime on the station. In March, it emerged that Mills had been accused of serious sexual offences involving a teenager under 16 in the late 1990s.

A police investigation was launched in 2016, which Mills said he "fully co-operated" with, before it was closed in 2019 after prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence to bring charges. Mills's salary in his final year was a significant increase on the £355,000 he earned in the previous financial year, when he hosted Radio 2's afternoon show for 10 months and the breakfast show for two. His predecessor at breakfast Zoe Ball was paid more than £1.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.