NOEL EDMONDS TOPS TV RICH LIST AHEAD OF ROWAN ATKINSON AND CHRIS EVANS

August 16, 2001Aug 16, 2001, 11:00 PM GMT+1

Noel Edmonds, Rowan Atkinson and Chris Evans have a lot to smile about as they have been named TV’s richest celebrities by Broadcast magazine. Though the trade journal’s list of the broadcast industry’s 100 wealthiest people is dominated by media moguls who are virtually unknown, TV stars with household names and a talent for business have managed to make their mark as well.

Ranked at number eight on the overall list, former BBC star Noel Edmonds is in the number one celebrity spot with a fortune of £70 million. The media tycoon has business interests in everything from aviation to video conferencing with his company, Unique Group. The 52-year-old, who owns an 840-acre estate in Devon, is said to have added a massive £30 million to his fortune in the last year.

The former House Party presenter’s fortune is just £10 million greater than Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson’s £60 million stash. The comedian made millions from his share of the profits of the film version of Mr Bean and counts on his earnings from production companies Hindmeck and Tiger Aspect.

Currently unemployed radio and TV personality Chris Evans comes in at an impressive number three on the list of richest stars though he slipped in overall industry-wide rankings from number eight to number twelve. It is said that Evans has lost nearly a third of his £80 million fortune in the last year due in part to the falling value of his shares in the Scottish Media Group. The ginger-haired mogul, who was sacked from his Virgin Radio DJ post earlier this summer, is now worth an estimated £52 million.

Other celebrities on the list include former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof with £30 million. Interviewer Sir David Frost and old pals Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith each have £25 million.

The richest person on the overall list of top earners in the broadcasting industry is Sir Peter Michael, chairman of Classic FM, who is reportedly worth a whopping £185 million, more than double the wealth of number one celebrity Edmonds.

Fifty-two-year-old Noel Edmonds's business interests earned him £70 million and the number one spot on the list

Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson’s £60 million stash comes in part from production companies Hindmeck and Tiger Aspect

Chris Evans, the media mogul who was sacked from his Virgin Radio DJ post earlier this summer, is now worth an estimated £52 million

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