Nolan remains BBC's fifth highest paid presenter

Stephen Nolan remains the BBC's 5th best paid presenter, according to the corporation's just-published annual report.

He was paid between £405,000 and £409,999 directly from the licence fee in 2023-24.

That is the same amount as the news presenter Fiona Bruce, according to the report.

Mr Nolan's pay was for his presenting work on BBC Radio Ulster, 5 Live and Nolan Live on BBC Northern Ireland.

BBC top earners 2023-24

The 2023-24 pay figures do not include what Mr Nolan earns for other TV programmes made for the BBC by his independent production company.

That is because the BBC does not have to disclose the salaries of stars who are paid through production companies.

That also means that what Ms Bruce is paid for presenting programmes like the Antiques Road Show is not disclosed.

As a result, the hosts of some of the BBC's biggest shows are also missing from the salaries detailed in the annual report.

For example, the salaries of presenters for programmes like Strictly Come Dancing - made by the BBC's commercial arm BBC Studios - are not revealed.

Only some of the earnings of other BBC presenters - like Mr Nolan, Ms Bruce, Evan Davis or Amol Rajan - are listed in the report.

Former BBC NI Director Peter Johnston was also on the list

The BBC's annual report gives the pay details of its top earning presenters and other staff, including executives, who earn more than £178,000 from the licence fee in the year.

BBC Northern Ireland's director Adam Smyth's salary does not appear, suggesting he was paid less than £178,000 in 2023-24.

But his predecessor Peter Johnston, now the corporation's director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews, was paid between £200,000 and £204,999 in 2023-24.

Gary Lineker among highest paid stars

The BBC's highest paid presenter was again the Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who was paid £1.35m in 2023-24.

BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball was the second-highest earner, with around £950,000.

They are followed by new presenter Huw Edwards, who earned about £475,000, and Radio 1 presenter Greg James, who earned about £415,000.

Paid between £395,000 and £399,999, the Radio 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne was just below Mr Nolan and Ms Bruce.

Apart from Mr Nolan, there are no other BBC Northern Ireland presenters or staff named in the annual report as earning more than £178,000.

Martin McCann and Siân Brooke's star in Blue Lights

The BBC report also said that the corporation is in the process of making "major savings".

The BBC licence fee has recently risen to an annual £169.50 after a two-year freeze.

The licence fee's existence is guaranteed until 31 December 2027, but the way the BBC is funded is being reviewed by the government.

The annual report also reveals that BBC audiences remain healthy in Northern Ireland compared to other parts of the UK.

The police drama Blue Lights was a particular success, with an average audience of 400,000 people in Northern Ireland alone - around 20% of the population.

Further series of the drama, which is filmed in Northern Ireland and broadcast by the BBC across the UK, have been commissioned.

About 86% of adults in Northern Ireland used BBC TV or iPlayer, radio or online services each week in 2023-24, up slightly from 84% in 2022-23.

Just under two-thirds of adults in Northern Ireland - 62% - used BBC Online on average per week, the same as 2022-23.

However, the number of adults in Northern Ireland using services like BBC Sounds or iPlayer rose.

But fewer than half of Northern Irish adults felt that the BBC was "effective at reflecting people like them," according to the report.

And there was a fall in the proportion who watched BBC TV News in Northern Ireland, from 43% in 2022-23 to 40% in 2023-24.

The BBC's income from the licence fee in Northern Ireland alone also fell by £2m, from £98m in 2022-23 to £96m in 2023-24.

In his comments in the report, the chair of the BBC Northern Ireland committee Michael Smyth said the BBC was "valued by audiences in Northern Ireland".

"It's an enabler of great programmes and necessary conversations, reflecting local diversity, showcasing talent and providing points of connection for people from different backgrounds and places," he wrote.

"All of this matters and is arguably more important than ever before."