The top 10 list of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC for 2022-23 has been unveiled.
Right in the midst of what is one of the most highly-publicised national news stories at the moment, with the allegations against the unnamed BBC presenter grabbing every headline going, the broadcaster has chosen now to publish its annual list of highest-paid stars for 2022-23.
The top 10 list is made up of six male and four female stars this year.
Once again, which is likely to come as no surprise to the majority, Gary Lineker has been named as the BBC’s highest earner – taking home around £1.35 million in 2022-23, which is the same amount as the previous year.
Lineker’s ongoing presenting work on Match Of The Day, Sports Personality Of The Year, the World Cup, and the FA Cup lead to him keeping hold of the top spot on the list.
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The top 10 highest-paid presenters at the BBC for 2022-23 have been revealed / Credit: BBC
BBC Radio 2 breakfast show presenter Zoe Ball is second on the list, again with an unchanged salary and earning between £980,000 and £984,999, while the rest of the top five is made up of former footballer turned sports presenter Alan Shearer, BBC News’ Huw Edwards, and BBC Radio 5 Live’s Stephen Nolan.
Other notable names on the top 10 list include former BBC News and current Question Time and Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 breakfast show presenters Greg James and Ken Bruce.
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Ken Bruce is new to the top 10, along with Lauren Laverne and Sophie Raworth, and they enter the list in the place of Steve Wright, Vanessa Feltz, and Scott Mills – who all departed from their respective BBC shows within the last year.
Top 10 Highest-Paid BBC Presenters 2022-23
Gary Lineker – £1,350,000
Zoe Ball – £980,000
Alan Shearer – £445,000
Huw Edwards – £435,000
Stephen Nolan – £400,000
Fiona Bruce – £395,000
Greg James – £395,000
Ken Bruce – £390,000
Lauren Laverne – £390,000
Sophie Raworth – £365,000
Away from the top 10, other famous top earners include George Alagiah, Naga Munchetty, Amol Rajan, Laura Kuenssberg, Nicky Campbell, and Victoria Derbyshire.
As well as on-screen stars, the annual report also includes salary details for bosses within the corporation – the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie taking home between £525,000 and £529,999 in 2022-23.
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Six male and four female stars make up this year’s highest earners / Credit: BBC
Speaking on the publishing of the annual list, Tim Davie said: “I am proud of the content we have delivered, from royal programming to wonderful sporting moments and coverage of the Ukraine war… [but] it remains a period of change, financial pressures, and great competition in the media market.
“Our task is not always easy and we have to make some difficult choices.
“But these are challenges we must embrace as we know that the BBC is needed now more than ever, in an age of polarisation and increasing disinformation.”
Featured Image – BBC
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Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors
Emily Sergeant
Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time its been one of England’s most popular attractions.
Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.
The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.
The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.
When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.
So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.
The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.
Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.
Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo
“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.
“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.
“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.
“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”
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Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.
Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.
The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.
Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.
These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.
The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.
The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.
Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum
“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.
“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”
A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.
Emily Sergeant -
12th July 2023 
