Gary Lineker has come up smelling of cash and topped the list of the highest paid stars in the BBC, despite three female stars making the top ten for the first time in the wake of the pay gap scandal.
The Match of the Day host, 58, took home £1.75 million last year according to Mail Online, with Chris Evans earning £1.25 million.
Reports claim rises of up to £200,000 were handed to female stars as some male figures saw their pay slashed, leading to the likes of John Humphrys, Nicky Campbell, Jeremy Vine and Nick Grimshaw to crash out of the ten best paid at the Beeb.
It is believed the total pay bill for the biggest names has swelled by £11million to £159million.
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Claudia Winkleman, Vanessa Feltz and Zoe Ball make their debut in the wealth rankings following reports Zoe’s pay packet has been boosted by £220,000, up from £150,000.
It is believed her salary will continue to rise ahead of the rich list reveal next after she took over Chris Evan’s Radio 2 breakfast slot.
According to the Mail, other broadcasters who’ve enjoyed substantial rises include Jo While (up from £170,000 to £275,000), Sara Cox (up from £100,000 to £239,000) and Fiona Bruce (up from around £185,000 to more than £255,000).
However, Jeremy Vine has suffered a £155,000 cut, John Humphrys has lost £115,000, Steve Wright is down £100,000 and Nicky Campbell is pulling in £75,000 than he did the previous year.
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Steve Wright still managed to place fifth in the list, however – earning £469,000.
Other names in the top ten include Huw Edwards, Alan Shearer, Andrew Marr and Jason Mohammad.
Figures also show 75 people at the BBC now enjoy a £150,000 salary, up from 64 last year.
BBC director General Lord Hall defended splashing out top money for top stars, insisting viewers want the biggest names in TV and that comes at a price.
He blogged: “They would earn significantly more elsewhere – and recent departures to commercial rivals show this argument isn’t hollow.
“The simple truth is we have spent more than ever on content, but the amount we have spent proportionally on talent has come down.
“But more importantly, whenever we ask the public whether they want big stars on the BBC they say yes. They say yes because they are talented and entertaining. They also say yes as it means they are getting big value from the BBC.”
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