The wealthiest radio presenters in the UK may not have reached the phenomenal fortunes of some notable US presenters. However, they’ve still made quite the killing over the years.
Many of the UK’s most popular presenters have made millions over the years thanks to their comedic talk shows, excellent reporting and unique personalities.
With the number of high-earning broadcasters in the UK soaring and dozens of professionals boasting net worths in excess of $1million, it’s difficult to narrow down the wealthiest hosts. However, we have listed some of the most famous presenters below.
Read on for a glimpse of some of the richest entertainers in UK broadcasting.
Ricky Gervais (net worth: $160 million)
Although no longer known for his radio exposure today, Ricky Gervais has a long history in the broadcast landscape.
In his early years, Gervais worked as Assistant Events Manager for the University of London Union and was Head of Speech at XFM radio station.
This role led him to meet Stephen Merchant, his longtime co-star.
After the first series of The officeMerchant and Gervais returned to XFM station for a Saturday radio show in 2001, where they began collaborating with Karl Pilkington.
In 2017, Gervais also began hosting a weekly radio show on Sirius XM until 2019.
Chris Evans (net worth: $120 million)
Chris James Evans, not to be confused with the Hollywood star of the same name, is an English radio DJ, producer and television presenter.
He began his broadcasting career at Piccadilly Radio in Manchester before moving to London to present for BBC Radio London.
In 2005 he started a new job at BBC Radio 2 before eventually becoming a presenter The Breakfast Show by Chris Evans in 2010.
Evans announced his departure from Radio 2 in 2018, joining Virgin Radio UK instead, taking most of his team with him.
At one point, Evans was the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, earning between £2.2million and £2.25million a year.
Vanessa Feltz (net worth: $52 million)
English television personality, broadcaster and journalist Vanessa Feltz has had a major impact on the British entertainment landscape.
She has appeared on various television shows including vanessa And The Vanessa Show. She was also known for hosting an early morning radio show on BBC Radio 2 between 2011 and 2022.
The history of Feltz in the radio landscape dates back quite some time. She was in charge of the BBC Radio 2 Early breakfast Show for several years, usually airing before 6am
In 2022, Feltz took on a new role as host of the weekday drivetime show for TalkTV and TalkRadio.
Graham Norton (net worth: $40 million)
Today, Graham Norton is best known for his television roles. He presents Tthe Graham Norton Showas well as Euro Vision Song Contestregularly.
Additionally, Norton is a comedian, writer, and actor with a long history in the entertainment landscape.
His first radio appearances were on BBC Radio 4 Loose ends In the 1990s. He has also appeared regularly on the BBC Radio 4 panel show since 1999 Just a minute.
From 2010 to 2020 he presented the Saturday morning slot on BBC Radio 2.
In 2021 Norton joined Virgin Radio UK where he began presenting on Saturdays and Sundays.
Pete Tong (net worth: $33 million)
Pete Tong, born 1960, is an English disc jockey and radio presenter, best known for his work with the BBC.
He continues to work as a host of various programs such as Essential selection And Essential mix on the radio station Radio 1.
As one of the UK’s most well-known DJs, Tong has garnered a huge following Essential selection Program.
In 2012, Tong was even asked to start a new EDM channel with Clear Channel Communications in the US evolution.
Along with the launch of this channel, Tong introduced a new two-hour program called It’s all gone Pete Tong.
Chris Tarrant (net worth: $22 million)
Christopher John Tarrant is a television personality, broadcaster, and former radio DJ best known for hosting the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Tarrant has also received an OBE for his charity work and his efforts with the Underprivileged Children Campaign.
Between 1984 and 2004, Tarrant was a presenter for Capital Radio, presenting the morning show Capital breakfast. The show was highly rated and even helped Tarrant make another breakthrough on the television landscape.
John Humphrys (net worth: $17 million)
One of the UK’s most respected radio presenters, Desmond John Humphrys has a long radio history.
Between 1981 and 1987 he was the number one presenter for the Nine o’clock news. He also presented BBC Radio 4’s breakfast programme, Todaybetween 1987 and 2019.
Over the years, Humphrys’ work with the BBC and other leading broadcasters has helped him win several awards.
In 2003 he won the Gold Sony Radio Award. He also received the Silver Plate from the Plain English Campaign for Crystal Clear Broadcasting.
Nicky Campbell (net worth: $10 million)
Scottish broadcaster and journalist Nicholas Campbell has been active in the radio and television landscape since 1987.
Campbell even talks about his lifelong obsession with radio in his memoir. one of the family.
Nicky’s relationship with radio began in 1983 while he was still at University in Aberdeen. Over the years he has pursued a career at Capital Radio in London and has worked with household names such as Alan Freeman and Kenny Everett.
Campbell has worked on BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio 2 and many other broadcasters. In 2014 he was even inducted into the Arqiva Hall of Fame.
Steve Wright (net worth: $6 million)
Stephen Richard Wright is an English radio personality who is credited with introducing the British countryside to the ‘zoo format’ of broadcasting.
For 12 years he presented Steve Wright in the afternoon on BBC Radio 1, followed by another 23 years on Radio 2. Today he continues to present the love songs on sunday Weekend morning show on Radio 2.
Over the years, Wright has won many awards including Best DJ of the Year.
For a short time Steve, like many well-known British DJs, also presented the Radio 1 breakfast showbut resigned after a year because of differences with the BBC.
Zoe Ball (net worth: $5 million)
Born in 1970, Zoe Ball has made history on the British airwaves. She was the first female host of the Radio 1 breakfast show and the Radio 2 breakfast Show for the BBC.
Ball has also appeared on various television shows over the years including Be sure to come dance. 2018 after Chris Evans left the BBC Radio 2 breakfast showZoe picked up her coat.
Although Zoe’s salary has not been disclosed by the BBC, she is believed to be one of the network’s highest-paid presenters. Between 2020 and 2021, Zoe earned just over £1.13million a year.
Huw Edwards (net worth: $3 million)
Welsh journalist, newscaster and presenter Huw Edwards is best known in the UK as a presenter for the BBC News at ten. He is also responsible for covering a range of national and international events on behalf of the BBC.
Edwards first delved into the radio landscape as part of an internship at commercial broadcaster Swansea Sound.
Edwards then joined the BBC as a news intern. While Edwards has had a greater presence on television than radio, he has appeared on many programs.
Over the years he has earned an average salary of around £550,000 a year with the BBC.
Nick Grimshaw (net worth: $2 million)
Nick Grimshaw, nicknamed “Grimmy” by his fans, is an English television presenter and former radio presenter. He earned his fame hosting a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1.
Grimshaw began his BBC career in 2007 presenting the BBC’s youth department switch.
Over the years he has moved into various new positions within the BBC, presenting the Radio 1 Weekend Breakfast Show and one broadcast from 10 p.m. to midnight.
While Grimshaw didn’t draw the most listeners from the BBC, he did regularly connect with around five million people. In 2017, he was making less than £400,000 a year for his role.
Finally, in 2021, Grimshaw announced he was leaving Radio 1 and has not returned to the broadcasting landscape since.
recognitions
As mentioned above, there are dozens of other high earning radio presenters across the UK.
You might know famous names that we haven’t covered here, like Gary Lineker, Steve Wright, Fiona Bruce, and Lauren Laverne.
We also wanted to draw attention to some big names of big earners who have sadly passed away such as the following.
John Peel: One of the most famous radio presenters in Britain, John Peel had a net worth of approximately $8 million when he passed away in 2004. He was best known for being one of the longest-serving BBC disc jockeys of all time.
Terry Wogan: British and Irish television and radio broadcaster Terry Wogan was best known in the radio landscape for his BBC Radio 2 show. Wake up to Wogan. Despite having a net worth of approximately £20million at one point, he only left £1million for his family as a result of a wealth split.
Kenny Everett: At the time of his death, Kenny Everett was believed to be worth between $2 million and $5 million. He was one of the most famous radio show presenters of all time for his work on BBC Radio 1.
