Out of curiosity, where were you doing your IR theory in Norway? PM if you'd prefer not to post it in public...
I believe the only school offering the theory in the UK is CAPT (Phil Croucher's outfit). Last I heard, they were approved for IR-only theory (i.e. IR without the rest of the ATPL course). Some flight schools offering the course in the UK are FAST, Helicopter Services, Severn, and Sloane (might not be running yet); cost for the flying bit ranges from £42k to £50k, more if you need extra hours, retests, etc.
I'm not aware of anyone getting their flying training sponsored, regardless of theory credits, but stranger things have happened. I'd suggest that given the demand right now and the number of already-qualified pilots floating around, the outlook isn't terribly good for someone who needs £40k+ worth of additional training before they become employable, but you might be lucky.