The era of the BBC mega-salary may end with Gary Lineker. But is that necessarily a good thing? | Archie Bland

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker 's 1.35 m pay packet has just been offloaded by the BBC .

The BBC is seeking to save 500 m a year after years of below-inflation increases to the licence fee.

BBC ’s legion of critics, who continue to be granted a mysterious number of column inches by direct competitors, remain enthusiastic in their search for ways to claim it is a bloated drain on the public purse.

Even if Lineker doesn’t make a huge difference to the bottom line, there is some use.

Big BBC names Chris Evans , Eddie Mair , Emily Maitlis dive, Scrooge McDuck style, into the great lake of cash that the commercial sector represents.

Those losses are often painted as a brain drain for the BBC , but that analysis misses the many other middle-ranking presenters who are quietly moved on by the corporation, making way for cheaper talent to come through.