BBC radio star hilariously responds as corporation reveals top earners (2024)

BBC Radio star Nick Garnett has left his followers chuckling after a hilarious jibe about no longer buying coffee after the organisation's top earners were unveiled.

The new report revealed Hugh Edwards was the third highest-paid star in the corporation even though he was only on air for three months following a sex pics scandal.

Once again Match of The Day host, Gary Lineker, was the BBC's highest earner for the seventh consecutive year, being paid £1.35 million with Radio 2 host Zoe Ballfollowing in second place, taking home up to £954,999.

However the BBC 5 Radio star decided to take it all in his stride upon discovering his peers staggering wages, joking coffee was no longer on him.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) quipped quipped: 'Having a dig through the salaries of some of my colleagues. One thing's for certain - it's the last time I buy the coffees.'

His joke comes after the BBC unveiled its highest earners, however not everyone appeared in the report.

Stars employed through production companies or BBC Studios exempt in order to maintain a level playing field on the commercial market.

Stars who were excluded include Michael McIntyre, Bradley Walsh, Alex Jones, Paddy McGuinness, Claudia Winkleman, Romesh Ranganathan, Alexander Armstrong, Richard Osman, Lord Sugar and Graham Norton.

It means none of Strictly's stars are named in the list at a time when the programme is facing intense scrutiny over its treatment of celebrities. BBC boss Tim Davie today apologised for stars' negative experiences on the show.

The figures also showed that Today programme presenter Nick Robinson has broken into the top ten after his pay rocketed from up to £279,000 to as much as £349,999, in the region of a £70,000 increase - the biggest on the list.

Radio 1 breakfast host Greg James moved up the list to become the fourth highest paid star at the BBC, up from seventh last year, with his pay jumping from up to £399,999 to £419,999 this time round.

Question Time and BBC News presenter Fiona Bruce and Radio 5 Live presenter Stephen Nolan were in joint fifth position both getting up to £409,999.

They were followed by Desert Island Discs and 6 Music host Lauren Laverne, who was paid up to £399,999 and is one of four women in the top ten.

Alan Shearer, who without a major international football tournament on saw his pay drop from up to £449,999 to as much as £384,999, placing seventh on the list.

In joint ninth with Nick Robinson, was BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty, whose pay went up slightly to £349,999.

Most of the presenters listed had posted pay rises, with another Today presenter Justin Webb enjoying about a £40,000 pay hike, with BBC News presenter Reeta Chakrabarti getting an even bigger increase in the region of £55,000 to up to £274,999.

But it will be the pay of Huw Edwards that will raise the most eyebrows given his absence from TV screens for most of the year in question.

His huge pay packet, making him the highest paid newsreader at the BBC, comes despite the fact he was suspended last July over the explicit picture allegations and never returned to air.

The veteran newsreader was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 scheduled presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming, according to the BBC's annual report.

This marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between £435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials.

Edwards was absent from screens from when the story first broke in July 2023 until his exit in April 2024.

He was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care.

In April, the former News at Ten host announced he was stepping down from the BBC 'on the basis of medical advice from his doctors'.

This was nine months after allegations he paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexual images had become public.

The BBC's director general Tim Davie defended the increase and said: 'We've said that before, no settlement payment.'

He also said he was not going to 'get into who's spoken to who' when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation.

Mr Davie added: 'I think that's inappropriate with an individual case like this. Look, we are always trying to be very judicious with the spending of public money and no-one wants to waste a pound.

'But what you're trying to do, and from the onset of that affair, was trying to act proportionally, fairly and navigate this appropriately.

'I think that's what we did and it ended up in the conclusion, we all know, but I think we wouldn't have wasted money if we weren't doing the right thing.

'I think sometimes, many people on this call will be in organisations and you're making calls on what's the right and appropriate process with regard to paying someone while you were working out an outcome to something. So, I wouldn't go into the specifics of the individual case, in terms of the increase in pay prior to any breaking of the story.

'You know, people do get, as you'll have seen, overall, our pay progress is pretty good ... but people on the list would be getting pay rises for extended responsibility, and actually, if they're doing more ... so that is fairly normal business, and that's what would result in the change.'

The BBC said that in the year 2023-24 some 35 million UK adults accessed its services each day, and the organisation is now the only British firm in the top five most-used media brands for young people.

Three quarters of UK adults use BBC News each week and the organisation contributed almost £5 billion to the economy last year.

Meanwhile 30 million adults listen to BBC radio stations each week, with Radio 2 proving the most popular in the country.

Radio 4 is the number one speech station and 6 Music the biggest digital-only service, the report added.

In a bid to diversify the organisation, the BBC's Across the UK plan was described as 'mission critical' with bosses revealing they are on track to exceed the target of spending £700 million outside of London.

Around 350 roles have been relocated outside of the capital, and the corporation says 54 percent of its workforce is based elsewhere.

But the BBC admitted its licences declined by two percent in the last 12 months, with overall licence revenue 30 percent less than it was in 2010 - a drop of more than £1 billion.

In a bid to save cash, the corporation has reduced its workforce by 10 percent, or 2,000 roles, in the last five years.

It has also revealed plans today to scrap another 500 full-time roles.

The figures make uncomfortable reading for the corporation at a time when it faces a series of damaging allegations concerning alleged treatment of contestants on Strictly Come Dancing.

At a press conference on Tuesday, BBC Director General Tim Davie said he was 'sorry' that some stars did not have a positive experience on the show.

'I think that is something we do reflect on – I'm sorry about that,' he added.

Mr Davie saw his pay remain the same at up to £529,999 as the top-paid BBC executive.

He told journalists there will inevitably be 'competitiveness, hard work and the will to do well' on Strictly Come Dancing, adding: 'But there are limits and the line should never be crossed. We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.'

Asked if he is confident the show will go ahead this series, he said: 'I need to be assured we have the right safeguarding and duty of care in place, and that is the first question I ask.

'I am assured by the robust actions we have taken in terms of the changes we have made ... that we are in a position to deliver a very good season this year and that has been my focus.'

He continued: 'With that assurance, I'm looking forward to the next season.'

Addressing how he felt when the allegations first emerged about the show, he said he was 'disappointed'.

Professional Graziano Di Prima, 30, was axed from the show last week following claims he allegedly hit and spat at his dancing partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals.

Graziano has apologised for kicking his former partner and added other allegations do not align with 'how he remembers it'.

Weeks before, Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celeb partners. He denies the claims.