Journalists at the BBC earned at least £657,000 from external engagements in the 12 months ending March 2026, according to the corporation’s published register. The quarterly disclosures detail presenters’ roles at panels, awards ceremonies, speaking events, and the fees received, categorized in bands from below £1,000 to over £10,000 per engagement.

Amol Rajan, former presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme until January 2026, led the list, earning a minimum of £115,000 from 13 outside events. Only one of these engagements paid less than £10,000. This income was in addition to his reported annual BBC salary of around £320,000. Rajan continues to host University Challenge, a show produced independently for the BBC.

Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC, recently indicated that the fees journalists receive for external appearances may be considered during their annual pay reviews. He remarked that while BBC presenters are well compensated by the corporation, they often use their BBC roles to secure lucrative outside work.

Nine broadcast journalists received more than £10,000 for individual events during the year. Europe editor Katya Adler was paid at least £25,000 for external appearances on top of her estimated £245,000 salary. In total, 16 BBC staff members earned at least £10,000 across 126 such engagements. The roles most frequently undertaken were speaker (47%), host (21%), and moderator (9%).

Among notable assignments, Rajan was paid over £10,000 by the Royal Academy of Engineering to serve as a judge. Justin Webb, a former Today co-presenter, earned up to £111,000 across 13 events, although no single event individually paid more than £10,000. His base salary is approximately £365,000. Webb also received significant fees for judging work from the Management Consultancies Association.

World affairs editor John Simpson received multiple payments, mainly for speaking and presenting, from events management company Fane, which made nine substantial donations to him. Other Today programme presenters also featured prominently: Nick Robinson earned at least £25,000 for three events, while Emma Barnett was paid more than £10,000 for a single engagement.