Scott Mills sets record straight on BBC salary amid pay discrepancies

Scott Mills, the popular radio host, recently came to defend his BBC pay check after he has “worked my whole life” to land his dream role.

For the unversed, the 51-year-old will take over the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show from Zoe Ball after she left last year.

Mills will earn £450,000 a year, which is a small pay rise but much less than Ball’s £950,000.

The significant pay difference comes under spotlight as BBC bosses face pressure to reduce costs.

While having a conversation with The Sun’s Bizarre, Mills quipped that after starting with just £20 a show, "people cannot say that I haven't worked hard."

“I’ve been doing this since I was 16 and I’ll tell you how much I got paid then - £20 a show. And it was a five-hour show in the middle of the night, 1 until 6am,” he added.

The new host of the Breakfast Show went on to state, “It’s not like some hotshot’s turned up and is earning all this cash. No one likes discussing.”

“But I don’t think you can say that I haven’t played the long game. I hope people won’t think, ‘Well, he hasn’t worked very hard for that,’ because I’ve worked for this my whole life,” Scott Mills concluded.