Sara Cox and other Bolton and Bury-born BBC TV talent are earning more than £150,000 a year.

In a list of BBC on-air salaries for 2021/22, Sara Cox, the Bolton-born DJ and television presenter, was ranked the 21st highest paid employee at the BBC, earning between £275,000 and £279,999 up from £270,000 to £274,999.

Zoe Ball, whose dad Johnny comes from Bolton, remains the broadcaster’s second-highest paid talent, with a salary of £980,000 to £984,999, but figures show her salary falling for a second consecutive year after also previously agreeing to a pay cut.

Ball's salary has now slipped to below £1 million and reflects approximately 210 editions of The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on Radio 2.

Also making the list is Victoria Derbyshire, who was born in Ramsbottom and went to Bury Grammar School for Girls - she ranked 34th, earning £240,000 to £244,999. Her salary had a major boost, with a £70,000 increase.

Coming in as the top earning of on-air talent for the fifth consecutive year and the only name to earn over £1m annually is Gary Lineker.

The 61-year-old pundit and former footballer was paid between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 in 2021/2022 for work including Match Of The Day and Sports Personality Of The Year – a reduction of £10,000 on the previous year.

At the bottom of the highest paid BBC on-air talent, Carolyn Quinn was paid £150,000 to £154,999.

Speaking at a press conference, BBC director-general Tim Davie said: “Critically, if you look at the overall spend for our top talent I think we are showing incredible restraint in a market that is being driven by extreme hyper-inflation and competition.

“If you look at the value we get. And I know this is a source of a lot of understandable attention, actually, if you step back the actual amount paid for that group of talent, which only represents a tiny fraction of the 200,000-odd people who come on our airwaves every year, the return we get in terms of audience value is very strong.

“And actually our research (shows) people want to see the best people presenting and delivering for the BBC.”

Full list of BBC on-air salaries for 2021/22:

  1. Gary Lineker £1,350,000-1,354,999 (down from £1,360,000-£1,364,999)
  2. Zoe Ball £980,000-£984,999 (down from £1,130,000-£1,134,999)
  3. Alan Shearer £450,000-£454,999 (up from £390,000-£394,999)
  4. Steve Wright £450,000-£454,999 (down from £465,000-£469,999)
  5. Stephen Nolan £415,000-£419,999 (up from £405,000-£409,999)
  6. Fiona Bruce £410,000-£414,999 (up from £405,000-£409,999)
  7. Huw Edwards £410,000-£414,999 (down from £425,000-£429,999)
  8. Vanessa Feltz £400,000-£404,999 (up from £390,000-£394,999)
  9. Scott Mills £400,000-£404,999 (up from £375,000-£379,999)
  10. Greg James £390,000-£394,999 (up from £310,000-£314,999)
  11. Ken Bruce £385,000-£389,999 (up from £365,000-£369,999)
  12. Lauren Laverne £380,000-£384,999 (down from £395,000-£399,999)
  13. Naga Munchetty £365,000-£369,999 (up from £255,000-£259,999)
  14. George Alagiah £325,000-£329,999 (no change)
  15. Emily Maitlis £325,000-£329,999 (no change)
  16. Amol Rajan £325,000-£329,999 (up from £240,000-£244,999)
  17. Sophie Raworth £305,000-£309,999 (up from £280,000-£284,999)
  18. Nicky Campbell £295,000-£299,999 (no change)
  19. Jeremy Vine £290,000-£294,999 (down from £295,000-£299,999)
  20. Jason Mohammad £285,000-£289,999 (up from £270,000-£274,999)
  21. Sara Cox £275,000-£279,999 (up from £270,000-£274,999)
  22. Mishal Husain £275,000-£279,999 (no change)
  23. Evan Davis £270,000-£274,999 (no change)
  24. Nick Robinson £270,000-£274,999 (no change)
  25. Andrew Marr £265,000-£269,999 (down from £335,000-£339,999)
  26. Jo Whiley £265,000-£269,999 (down from £275,000-£279,999)
  27. Laura Kuenssberg £260,000-£264,999 (no change)
  28. Martha Kearney £255,000-£259,999 (up from £250,000-£254,999)
  29. Clive Myrie £255,000-£259,999 (up from £205,000-£209,999)
  30. Justin Webb £255,000-£259,999 (no change)
  31. Mark Chapman £250,000-£254,999 (no change)
  32. Sarah Montague £245,000-£249,999 (no change)
  33. Kirsty Wark £245,000-£249,999 (up from £210,000-£214,999)
  34. Victoria Derbyshire £240,000-£244,999 (up from £170,000-£174,999)
  35. Faisal Islam £240,000-£244,999 (up from £205,000-£209,999)
  36. Jeremy Bowen £230,000-£234,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  37. Jon Sopel £225,000-£229,999 (down from £230,000-£234,999)
  38. Michael Vaughan £225,000-£229,999 (up from £175,000-£179,999)
  39. Jermaine Jenas £220,000-£224,999 (up from £195,000-£199,999)
  40. Dan Walker £220,000-£224,999 (down from £295,000-£299,999)
  41. Katya Adler £215,000-£219,999 (down from £220,000-£224,999)
  42. Emma Barnett £215,000-£219,999 (down from £240,000-£244,999)
  43. Mary Berry £215,000-£219,999 (no change)
  44. Fergal Keane £210,000-£214,999 (up from £205,000-£209,999)
  45. Trevor Nelson £210,000-£214,999 (down from £230,000-£234,999)
  46. Clare Balding £205,000-£209,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  47. Simon Jack £205,000-£209,999 (up from £190,000-£194,999)
  48. Reeta Chakrabarti £200,000-£204,999 (up from £175,000-£179,999)
  49. Gabby Logan £200,000-£204,999 (up from £165,000-£169,999)
  50. Micah Richards £200,000-£204,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  51. Louis Theroux £200,000-£204,999 (no change)
  52. Alex Scott £195,000-£199,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  53. Mark Easton £190,000-£194,999 (no change)
  54. Sarah Smith £190,000-£194,999 (up from £185,000-£189,999)
  55. Charlie Stayt £190,000-£194,999 (no change)
  56. Sue Barker £185,000-£189,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  57. Rachel Burden £180,000-£184,999 (down from £205,000-£209,999)
  58. John McEnroe £180,000-£184,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  59. Jonathan Agnew £175,000-£179,999 (no change)
  60. Stephen Sackur £175,000-£179,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  61. Ben Brown £170,000-£174,999 (no change)
  62. Harpreet Bhullar (Harpz Kaur) £160,000-£164,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  63. Orla Guerin £160,000-£164,999 (no change)
  64. Colin Murray £160,000-£164,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  65. Clara Amfo £155,000-£159,999 (down from £165,000-£169,999)
  66. Joanna Gosling £155,000-£159,999 (no change)
  67. Isa Guha £155,000-£159,999 (up from £150,000-£154,999)
  68. Chris Sutton £155,000-£159,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  69. Claudia Winkleman £155,000-£159,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  70. Nihal Arthanayake £150,000-£154,999 (no change)
  71. Lyse Doucet £150,000-£154,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  72. Steve Lamacq £150,000-£154,999 (down from £155,000-£159,999)
  73. Tony Livesey £150,000-£154,999 (not listed in 2020/21)
  74. Carolyn Quinn £150,000-£154,999 (no change)