Scott Mills was highest paid BBC star before sacking

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Scott Mills previously hosted the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show By Steven McIntosh Entertainment reporter Published 1 minute ago DJ Scott Mills was the highest paid presenter at the BBC before he was sacked earlier this year, according 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 BBC 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. The annual salaries list is far from a complete picture of what top talent at the BBC 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 2025-2026 Image caption, Laura Kuenssberg (pictured interviewing Chancellor Rachel Reeves) was among the BBC's top earners 1. 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. 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 BBC executives As Mills was sacked by the BBC 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 BBC 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 BBC 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 £1.36m during her first year presenting the Radio 2 breakfast show in 2019. However, Ball's salary reduced over the six y