Former BBC presenter Scott Mills The BBC has confirmed that Scott Mills had become its biggest on-screen earner prior to him being fired at the end of March. Before his abrupt departure from the broadcaster, Mills had been best known for fronting Radio 2’s flagship breakfast show, as well as taking part in the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest each year. He was dropped immediately by the BBC earlier this year, and it later emerged that he’d been investigated and questioned by the police almost a decade earlier over “allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy”, who was under the age of 16 at the time. Shortly after he was dismissed, Scott’s team issued a statement saying he had “fully cooperated and responded” to the allegation back in 2018. On Tuesday morning, the BBC published its annual report, in which it was revealed that Mills had risen to the position of its highest-earning presenter, pulling in around £745,000 in his final year of employment. Behind him on the list was his Radio 1 counterpart Greg James, whose salary was said to be around £440,000, followed by Stephen Nolan at £425,000. In joint fourth position was Laura Kuenssberg, at around £405,000, the same figure as Radio 2 staple Vernon Kay. Laura Kuenssberg Completing the top 10 were Alan Shearer (around £390,000), Justin Webb (around £375,000), Naga Munchetty (around £360,000), Fiona Bruce (around £345,000) and Sophie Raworth (£340,000). This data only includes money paid directly by the BBC, and not those whose earnings come from external production houses (such as The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman or talk show favourite Graham Norton). In April, Mills released a statement following his departure from the BBC, which read: “An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018. “As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. “Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.” The BBC also issued an apology for failing to “follow up on” an additional allegation relating to Mills that was raised by a freelance journalist last year. Earlier this month, Sara Cox took over as the new host of Radio 2’s breakfast show, with her debut show going down well with critics. READ MORE: Sara Cox Is Off To A Flying Start After First Day As Radio 2's Breakfast Show Host Ricky Gervais Had A Unique Way Of Keeping The BBC At Bay When He Was Making The Office Ashley Cain Says He's 'Not Proud' Of Sexist Language After BBC Pulls Series
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July 14, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Scott Mills Had Become The BBC's Top Earning Presenter Before He Was Fired
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