Radio entertainment and showbiz

Zoe Ball makes it into the BBC salaries top 10

Zoe Ball along with Vanessa Feltz and Claudia Winkleman are in the BBC’s list of top 10 earning talent, making it the first time women have been on the list since it was first published in 2017.

The list is now published by the corporation in an effort to overcome an equal pay problem.

BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host Zoe Ball has joined the BBC big earners top 10 in ninth position while Vanessa Feltz is at joint tenth.

Zoe Ball’s wage at £370,000 to £374,999 represents the first three months of hosting Breakfast (30 programmes), plus nine months of Saturday shows (40 programmes).

Vanessa Feltz was paid £355,000 – £359,999 for 200 editions of the Radio 2 Early Breakfast Show and 220 editions of Radio London Breakfast Show.

Claudia Winkleman, who’s eighth on the list, is shown in the same salary bracket as Zoe Ball but her figure doesn’t include earnings for hosting Strictly Come Dancing, it represents her other BBC TV and radio work.

Chris Evans is still on the list, as it covers the period from April 2018 to March 2019, so will only represent nine months of work. He got £1.25m for 150 breakfast shows, which works out at £8.3k per programme.

Last year, the top 12 earners were all males but since the revelations around equal pay, some male radio presenters agreed to a pay cut as a result and are now further down the list. These include Jeremy Vine, Steve Wright, John Humphrys and Nicky Campbell.

The list includes celebrities who earned more than £150,000 in 2018/19, which has gone up to 75 from 64 the previous year. Among the biggest risers are Zoe Ball and Sara Cox, who are new onto the list after landing the Radio 2 breakfast and drivetime shows respectively.

Here’s how much some of the top radio broadcasters were paid in the latest report covering 2018/19:

Chris Evans: £1.250m – £1.254 (£1.660 – £1.669 previously (full year figure))
Graham Norton: £610,000 – £614,999 (£600-610k previously)
Steve Wright: £465,000 – £469,999 (£550-560k previously)
Claudia Winkleman: £370,000 – £374,999 (£370k – £379k previously)
Nicky Campbell: £340,000 – £345,999 (£410-420k previously)
Stephen Nolan: £325,000 – £329,999 (£400-£410k previously)
Greg James: £310,000 – £314,999 (110 Drive shows, 80 breakfast on Radio 1) (£170k – £179k previously)
Nick Grimshaw: £310,000 – £314,999 (£400-410k previously)
Lauren Laverne: £305,000 – £309,999 (140 mid-morning shows, 60 on breakfast at 6 Music) (£230k – £239k previously)
John Humphrys: £290,000 – £294,999 (£400k – £409k previously)
Scott Mills: £285,000 – £289,999 (£280k – £289k previously)
Ken Bruce: £280,000 – £284,999 (£300k – £309k previously)
Jeremy Vine: £290,000 – £294,999 (£440-450k previously)
Jo Whiley: £270,000 – £274,999 (£170k – £179k previously)
Simon Mayo: £245,000 – £249,999 (£340k – £349k previously)
Sara Cox: £235,000 – £239,999
Tina Daheley: £185,000 – £189,999 (£150k – £159k previously)
Adrian Chiles: £180,000 – £184,999
Annie Mac: £180,000 – £184,999
Nihal Arthanayake: £175,000 – £179,999
Rachel Burden: £170,000 – £174,999 (£150k – £159k previously)
Trevor Nelson: £165,000 – £169,999 (£150k – £159k previously)
Shaun Keaveny: £160,000 – £164,999 (160 6 Music Breakfast Shows, 50 6 Music Afternoon Shows) (£170k – £179k previously)
Mark Radcliffe: £155,000 – £159,999 (£190k – £199k previously)
Dotun Adebayo: £150,000 – £154,999
Clara Amfo: £150,000 – £154,999

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.