Scott Mills will earn less than half the salary of his predecessor Zoe Ball when he takes over her BBC Radio 2 morning show.
Scott, 51, will reportedly receive a small pay rise and will earn £450,000 a year, well below Zoe’s £950,000.
The dramatic pay gap comes as BBC bosses are under “enormous pressure” to cut costs, but Scott is reportedly “delighted” with the job despite the money.
A source said the sun: ‘The BBC is under enormous pressure to start making significant savings.
‘BBC Director General Tim Davie is quietly letting it be known that the days of huge seven-figure salaries for his golden girls and boys are over.
Scott Mills will earn less than half as much as his predecessor Zoe Ball as he takes over her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show.
Scott, 51, will reportedly take a small pay rise and will earn £450,000 a year, which is well below Zoe’s £950,000.
‘But it’s a real balancing act as, as a public broadcaster, you need and want to attract the best talent.
‘The fear is that stars, already fed up with public scrutiny when their salaries are published, may defect to streamers or ITV.
‘Scott, however, was really excited to get the job. He didn’t even ask for a raise.
On Tuesday, Zoe announced on air that she would be leaving the primetime show in December after six years but would remain with the station, and listeners have been responding to the news about her successor with a mix of complaints and congratulations.
Zoe, who replaced Chris Evans in 2019, took a break from presenting her show over the summer before returning in September.
Announcing the news on his show, he said: “After six years of fun times alongside all of you on the breakfast show, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early wake-up call and start a new chapter.”
Zoe said she was “delighted” to reveal Scott as her replacement, telling listeners: “Scott and I go back to our Radio 1 a long time ago, when he was performing early in the morning before me.” He’s been a close friend for years and I’m beyond excited for him to be taking over the Breakfast Show.
‘Breakfast has always been her dream, and what a year she’s had: from running around the world to her beautiful wedding to Sam. He is not only a brilliant and flourishing producer, but also one of the best in radio. I can’t wait to tune in to the school tour!’
The dramatic pay gap comes as BBC bosses are under “enormous pressure” to cut costs, but Scott is reportedly “delighted” with the job despite the money.
Zoe said she was ‘delighted’ to reveal Scott as her replacement after she took over the show in 2019 from Chris Evans.
However, reaction on social media has been mixed, with one listener calling it “such a terrible replacement,” while another called this morning’s announcement “horrible news.”
Others have vowed to pull the plug as a result, with one saying it was “time to find another station.”
However, others have been more favorable, with responses including “fantastic news” and offering “huge congratulations” while describing him as “equally talented” as Zoe.
Scott joined his friend on her show and said he was “beyond excited” to take on the role.
He said: “Zoe and I have been very good friends for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also at Radio 1. “She has done an incredible job on this program for over 25 years the last six years, and I am beyond excited to have the baton handed to me.
“It feels like since I recorded my first shows as a child for an audience of one person, my mother, all the roads since then have led me to this incredible opportunity. It really is a dream come true to follow in Sir Terry’s footsteps, Chris and Zoe to be the new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.’
Zoe was the first presenter of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 1998, a position she held until 2000.
She also co-presented the BBC’s Saturday morning children’s magazine Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for three years from 1996.