HOUSEWIVES’ favourite Dan Walker has announced a shock move to Channel 5 – and with it, a rumoured bumper pay rise.
The BBC Breakfast host said in a Twitter video he will be fronting a “host of new programmes across the channel.”
The Strictly star and dad-of-two will replace Channel 5 news anchor Sian Williams, who recently announced she was leaving and who, herself, made the move from BBC Breakfast to Channel 5 in 2016.
Dan said: “This has been a massive decision because I love BBC Breakfast. But Channel 5 came with big ambitions, with big plans and I don’t think opportunities like this come around very often.”
But how does Dan’s payday – and potential future earnings – compare to his fellow Breakfast stars? We take a look.
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Clean-cut and devoutly religious – he refused to rehearse for Strictly on a Sunday – Dan Walker has proved a huge hit since he took his place on the famous red sofa in 2016.
He was the biggest Breakfast earner last year, according to the BBC’s annual list of their biggest stars, netting £295,000. That figure included his time at Football Focus, which he left last May after 12 years, plus regular presenting slots on Match of the Day and Final Score.
He also earned around £60,000 for making it to the quarter finals of Strictly last year.
However, his move across to Channel 5 could potentially see Dan doubling his wages, to more than £500,000, particularly because he won’t be tied in with strict BBC rules preventing him doing adverts and endorsements.
Popular culture expert Nick Ede says: “Dan Walker leaving the BBC is a clear indication that his star is on the rise and he wants to maximise his earning power.
“It’s a smart move from Channel 5 to grab the housewives’ favourite and make him their flagship anchor man.
“With a crowded news channel war going on with GB News, Sky News, TalkTV etc, this is a great way for Channel 5 to engage with a new audience. Plus their existing audience will love his authoritative and accessible tone.
“He’s likely to be asked to front other programmes on the channel, plus he will be able to do adverts and commercial branded activity, meaning he will be able to earn around £500,000.”
According to the BBC’s figures from last July, which list salaries above £150,000, Naga earned £255,000 from the 2020/2021 financial year.
It put her at the second top earner on Breakfast and £40,000 behind Dan, and jumping £60,000 from the previous year.
This figure would only include the first four months of taking over Emma Barnett’s BBC Radio 5 Live morning show. So next year’s figure will be bigger.
Naga is on 5 Live Monday to Wednesday and on Breakfast from Thursday to Saturday, alongside Charlie Stayt.
She has previously added to her coffers by appearing on Strictly, in 2016. She was voted out in week four so would have netted around £40,000.
Naga has also been on CBBC sketch show, Class Dismissed, and co-presented Britain’s Classroom Heroes in 2017.
Sally Nugent didn’t make the list of top earners for the last financial year, but those figures were released before she was promoted to the main weekday anchor, replacing Louise Minchin.
Next year’s figures will surely then look very different as Sally’s wage moves up to compare with Naga and Dan’s salaries.
Sally has proved a hugely popular addition to the show, having worked her way up from sports reporter.
In 2020, she responded to a dig by a Twitter user who suggested she earned more than the Chancellor.
She replied: “I guarantee the Chancellor earns more than me, just sayin'”
Rishi Sunak earns £79,000 as his base salary plus another £71,000 as Chancellor.
Nick said Sally is likely to be earning an extra £150,000 on top of her previously salary for becoming a regular anchor.
Charlie has been a mainstay on Breakfast since 2006, working initially as a relief presenter before becoming the regular Friday to Sunday host the following December.
He currently anchors the show on Thursday to Sunday alongside Naga, and also stands in for Dan Walker in the week whenever necessary, earning £195,000 in the process.
Past ventures have included appearances on Dictionary Corner on Channel 4’s Countdown, BBC teatime quiz show Pointless Celebrities and Saturday Kitchen.
The dad-of-two has been married to wife Anne for 27 years.
Lovely Louise left the programme in September, but she notched up quite a pretty penny beforehand, with a reported £185,000 salary.
Last year, she also boosted her earnings with her stint on I’m a Celebrity, for which she was likely to have earned upwards of £30,000 for battling critters and sleeping in the cold Welsh castle.
Now she’s free from BBC rules, the sky’s the limit for Louise.
Louise, a mum-of-two, has previously appeared on quiz shows like Celebrity Chase and House of Games. She could also dip her toe into more reality shows.
As one of the few Breakfast stars not to have appeared on Strictly, bookies put her at 2/1 to appear on the next series, particularly after her husband lifted his “lifetime ban.”
She said last year: “The other day on Breakfast, Dan (Walker) mentioned it and I said the line that I’ve said for many years that I’m on a lifetime ban from my family and my husband texted and said, ‘Ban lifted.'”
Much-loved weather presenter Carol Kirkwood didn’t make it to the list of BBC top earners, but she’s surely not far off.
The national treasure has been telling us the forecast on Breakfast since 1998.
She has also lent her expertise to programmes across the channel, including the Victoria Derbyshire show and The One Show.
As is tradition for Breakfast presenters, Carol waltzed her way on to the Strictly ballroom in 2015, partnered with Pasha Kovalev.
She has also dipped her toe in other programmes including Ready, Steady, Cook, Pointless Celebrities and a documentary called The Great British Weather.
Nick Ede reckons that if Carol were to be given other shows on the BBC, she has the potential to earn around £180,000.
Mike Bushell presents the sport on Breakfast on Thursday, Friday and the weekends.
He’s best known for trying out wacky activities – around 400 in fact, which is believed to be a world record.
He also holds the record for zorbing across a mile of water in one hour, 57 seconds, for Sport Relief
The dad-of-three appeared on Strictly with pro dancer Katya Jones in 2019, making it to week seven.
He has also appeared on Celebrity University Challenge, The Weakest Link and I Can See Your Voice.
Nick says: “I think that the BBC will want to keep Mike, along with all the others, so they will offer them other roles, like hosting radio shows, podcasts, being contestants or experts on existing shows.
“All of this can add substantial increases in the income and revenue.
“Mike could potentially make up to £200,000 this way.”
Threee-piece suited weatherman Owain Wyn Evans has been at the Beeb for 15 years but has recently been carving out more of a name for himself.
Last year, he completed a 24-hour drumathon for Children in Need, which boosted his popularity.
The event raised more than £3m and put Owain on the map of those who perhaps didn’t know him before.
Now he’s very much in demand and will soon appear on BBC’s new extreme reality show, Freeze the Fear in which celebrities are put through their paces by “Ice Man” Wim Hof.
In January, he launched his own chat show on Welsh language channel, S4C, Siop Siarad Owain (Owain’s Talking Shop), which will also be broadcast on BBC iPlayer.
Owain actually started out at 18 on S4C.
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Owain said: “My life has been a bit of a whirlwind since my drumathon but S4C viewers with long memories will know it’s taken me quite a while to become an ‘overnight sensation.'”
Nick reckons this is just the start for Owain and suggests he could potentially see his income shoot up to £200,000.
