The BBC’s director general Tim Davie today defended paying Huw Edwards more than £475,000 before he resigned and left following the explicit photos furore.

Edwards, whose salary rose by £40,000 last year, resigned from the corporation in April after allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit pictures.

The BBC’s annual report, which was released today, revealed 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.

This salary 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, 62, who joined the BBC in 1984, was absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024.

But he stayed on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care.

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’.

Today, Mr Davie defended the pay and the rise, confirming there was ‘no settlement payment.’ He also said he was not going to ‘get into who’s spoken to who’ when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation.

Mr Davie added: ‘I think that’s inappropriate with an individual case like this. Look, we are always trying to be very judicious with the spending of public money and no-one wants to waste a pound.

‘But what you’re trying to do, and from the onset of that affair, was trying to act proportionally, fairly and navigate this appropriately.

‘I think that’s what we did and it ended up in the conclusion, we all know, but I think we wouldn’t have wasted money if we weren’t doing the right thing.

‘I think sometimes, many people on this call will be in organisations and you’re making calls on what’s the right and appropriate process with regard to paying someone while you were working out an outcome to something.

‘So, I wouldn’t go into the specifics of the individual case, in terms of the increase in pay prior to any breaking of the story.

‘You know, people do get, as you’ll have seen, overall, our pay progress is pretty good … but people on the list would be getting pay rises for extended responsibility, and actually, if they’re doing more … so that is fairly normal business, and that’s what would result in the change.’

Edwards’s salary was also given a brief mention on the BBC News Channel this afternoon.

The BBC’s media and arts correspondent David Silitto said: ‘One particular interest that some people had was Huw Edwards, who has been off air for most of last year. His salary actually went up by about £40,000. Of course, he’s now left the BBC.’

Edwards 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.

Edwards 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 £1million.

The salaries of many of the BBC’s 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.