By Jessica Ling
Cardiff Graduate Huw Edwards, who was once the lead presenter for BBC News at Ten, found himself deep in scandal when allegations of sexual misconduct and child abuse surfaced in July of 2023 and led to his suspension and disgrace. Following this, Channel 5 has commenced work on The Downfall of Huw Edwards, a two part drama covering his fall from grace.
An article from Sky News covered the entire court proceedings and relayed that the judge could see hat Edwards was “profoundly sorry” for his actions, determining that he did not present a risk to the public or children; an addition to his short prison sentence and suspension from the BBC, Edwards was told that he would have to complete a sex offender treatment programme and 25 rehabilitation sessions, as well as sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years and pay £3,128 in costs and victim surcharge. Subsequently, Cardiff University removed his honorary fellowship, along with an honorary professorship which had been awarded to him by the School of Journalism in 2007.
However, this is a scandal that refuses to leave the spotlight, as TV channel ‘5’ is set to release a two-part drama series titled Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards that will explore the scandal in its entirety and the disgraced presenter’s subsequent downward spiral.
Accusations flooded Edwards after it was discovered that he had paid a convicted paedophile around £1,500 to send him WhatsApp images of child abuse. He was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years after he plead guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children while Alex Williams, who had downloaded and sent those images to Edwards and other people, was handed a twelve-month suspended sentence early in 2024.
The series has been in development for a year and will star Martin Clunes, known for is roles in Doc Martin and Manhunt, in the role of the ex-presenter. The aim of the series will be to highlight the double life that a once beloved TV presenter had led for years and the loss of control that followed him as allegations of procuring indecent images surfaced and caused him to renounce his career at the BBC.
The series will also include extensive research since the court proceeding to build on what the public only knew from what was released during the height of the scandal, using first hand interviewers, co-operation from individuals who were involved with the scandal and an exclusive access to The Sun’s investigation into Edwards to accurately tell the story of someone who was able to use their power and status to manipulate others involved with his crimes and to likely evade a harsher sentencing.
There is yet to be a confirmed release date for the drama but we can expect it to come out sometime between 2026 and 2027, with BAFTA and EMMY award winning director Michael Samuels and writer Mark Burt being behind the series.