Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Huw Edwards paid more than £475,000 by BBC before resignation

23 Jul 2024 3 minute read
Huw Edwards (Credit: BBC)

Huw Edwards was paid more than £475,000 by the BBC last year before he resigned and left the corporation following the explicit photos furore.

His resignation in April followed allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit photos.

The veteran newsreader was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 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.

Medical advice

The BBC confirmed at the time of his departure that he had not received a pay-off and was leaving “on the basis of medical advice from his doctors”.

He had long been a fixture in the coverage of major political and royal events, announcing Queen Elizabeth II’s death on the BBC and presenting coverage of her funeral.

He also anchored the BBC’s broadcast of the King’s coronation last year.

He was the third highest-paid employee on the 2023/24 list, up from fourth last year, which was once again topped by Match Of The Day anchor Gary Lineker, whose salary remained unchanged at between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999.

This is the seventh consecutive year Lineker has topped the list and he continues to be the only star paid more than £1 million.

Production companies

The salaries of many of the BBCs most famous faces are not disclosed on the list because the corporation does not have to reveal the salaries of people who are paid through production companies, including the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios.

This means ubiquitous presenters and personalities such as Michael McIntyre, Lord Sugar, Bradley Walsh and Alex Jones do not feature.

It also explains the absence of Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who also hosts another of the BBC’s popular entertainment shows, The Traitors.

The BBC has published its annual report amid increased scrutiny of its flagship show Strictly Come Dancing over its culture and treatment of contestants.

There are few mentions of Strictly in the lengthy document but photos from the show are peppered throughout.

There are two new entries on this year’s list of the highest-paid on-air talent.

Naga Munchetty and Radio 4’s Nick Robinson enter the top 10, replacing Ken Bruce, who no longer works at the BBC, and Sophie Raworth who moves further down.

There are four women in the top 10 – Zoe Ball, Fiona Bruce, Lauren Laverne and Munchetty.

Radio 1’s Greg James, Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan and Match Of The Day’s Alan Shearer also make the list.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
hdavies15
hdavies15
3 months ago

No pay off but it took the BBC 9 months to reach the termination point. That was sufficient to provide a decent pay off as well as giving the episode a chance to cool down and fade out of the public eye. Until media dig it all up again. And again probably.

Adrian
Adrian
3 months ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Yes, and the BBC has form of course as it’s always closed ranks to protect wrong ‘uns, whilst simultaneously moralising, ad infinitum, to us sinners.

Last edited 3 months ago by Adrian
Mawkernewek
Mawkernewek
3 months ago
Reply to  Adrian

I’m still not convinced that there was any truth at all to the accusations against Huw, so he may not be a wrong un, are people making the assumption he is a wrong un due to not having a redundancy payout on top of the accumulated sick pay?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
3 months ago

How the BBC, who we the public own by the way, justifies these bloated figures when it’s revealed hundreds of thousands is paid to celebrities, especially half a million to Huw Edwards, beggars belief? And it makes you feel all warm and squishy inside that your licence fee rise is going towards such a good cause, he says with an air of sarcasm.

robin campbell
robin campbell
3 months ago

Give it to the Welsh Labour Party, mun!

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.