€2.8m in fees makes it bumper year for Norton

Chat show host and comedian, Graham Norton, remains Ireland’s best paid broadcaster, earning a whopping €2.83m (£2.33m) in fees last year.

The popular BBC presenter is laughing all the way to the bank as the £2.33m he received in presenter fees, production fees and royalties follows on from the £2.6m he earned in 2012.

That same year, the Bandon, Co Cork ,native shared £10m up front with his business partner, Graham Stuart from the sale of their So Television company to ITV.

The payout confirms that the 51-year-old clocks up over €1,700 in fees and royalties for every minute he is presenting his top-rated show that continues to attract Hollywood A-listers on BBC1 every Friday night.

The Graham Norton Show is the main earner for So Television Ltd and new figures just lodged with Companies House show that pre-tax profits at the firm declined by 22% from £2.34m to £1.8m in the 12 months to the end of July 31 (2013).

This followed revenues at the firm declining by 12% from £13.59m to £11.98m.

The Graham Norton Show is shown throughout the world with TV3 securing the Irish rights.

Mr Norton’s New Year’s Eve show enjoyed an audience high with 4.7m viewers tuning in to see him interview the cast of Monty Python and the movie Anchorman 2.

In the deal with ITV on the sale of So Television, ITV agreed to pay £10m up front while a further £7m will be payable depending on its performance up to July 2016.