All posts tagged: Huw

BBC chairman demands Huw Edwards return £200,000 salary

BBC chairman demands Huw Edwards return £200,000 salary

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter BBC chairman Dr Samir Shah has reiterated his demand for disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards to repay his £200,000 salary. The veteran TV executive, 74, made the comments during his appearance before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the future of the national broadcaster. The BBC has previously urged Edwards to return the substantial sum, which he received in the five months following his arrest, during which time he remained employed by the corporation. Speaking to MPs on Wednesday, Dr Shah stated that the BBC had “not abandoned hope” that Edwards – who was formerly one of the broadcaster’s highest-paid newsreaders – would ultimately return the money. He said: “I’ve already said that I think Huw Edwards ought to return the money, he hasn’t done so. I read that he’s seeking some kind of redemption. …

BBC chairman demands Huw Edwards return £200,000 salary

Huw Edwards says public ‘passes judgment’ too quickly amid comeback

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Huw Edwards has chastised the public for passing judgment too quickly, amid the disgraced BBC News presenter’s attempt at mounting a comeback in the public eye. Edwards was one of the BBC’s highest-paid newsreaders, known for presenting the BBC’s News at Ten for decades, before he pled guilty to making indecent images of children in July 2024. He was given a six-month suspended jail sentence and was added to the sex offenders’ register. Writing on his new Substack blog, which he has said is an attempt to rebuild “some kind of worthwhile life” and discuss mental health, Edwards described the landscape we find ourselves in as one that “celebrates judgment” and “prioritises anger over restraint [and] empowers the cynical”. He wrote: “Passing judgment on our fellow humans has become a pervasive pastime…While some judge to bolster their own self-worth, others do …

‘We don’t want to hear from you’: Huw Edwards’ tone deaf Substack relaunch met with fury

‘We don’t want to hear from you’: Huw Edwards’ tone deaf Substack relaunch met with fury

Published by Sam Flores

A new Substack blog launched by disgraced newsreader and convicted sex offender Huw Edwards has been met with incredulity. Britain’s one-time highest-paid news anchor pleaded guilty in 2024 to receiving and making indecent images of children and was given a six-month suspended jail sentence – but he’s now launched the blog in an attempt to rebuild “some kind of worthwhile life”. It’s the latest venture in a line-up of projects said to be part of his comeback, but despite Edwards not making any money off the blog, campaigners are warning that his ability to freely post sets a dangerous precedent. Campaigner Emma Jane Taylor, founder of grassroots charity Project 90-10, wrote on X/Twitter: “I have been groomed, manipulated and violated by people like Huw Edwards. I know exactly how this works and I recognise the patterns. That is why I am saying clearly that his Substack should be taken down. “Giving someone convicted of offences involving indecent images of children a public and online platform is a safeguarding failure @Substack. You do not simply get …

Disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards reportedly set to ‘state his case’ in new Channel 4 series

Disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards reportedly set to ‘state his case’ in new Channel 4 series

Published by Sam Flores

Disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards will “state his case” in a new Channel 4 series, according to reports. The news comes after it was claimed Edwards had enlisted a publicist and was reportedly planning a comeback after Britain’s one-time highest-paid news anchor pleaded guilty, in 2024, to receiving and making indecent images of children. According to The Times, Channel 4 will air Edwards’s version of events, which one employee has allegedly described as “a desperate publicity stunt”. The channel is already facing criticism this week after allegations of rape made by Married at First Sight UK contestants. Huw Edwards intends to make his own documentary or podcast (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire) The Independent has contacted Channel 4 for comment. In March, Edwards put out a statement condemning a Channel 5 drama about the scandal, starring Martin Clunes, and shared that he planned to produce his “own account of these terrible events”. To prepare for his reported return to show business, Edwards is working with publicist Barry Tomes, who has accepted the role on a volunteer basis. Tomes, …

BBC chairman demands Huw Edwards return £200,000 salary

Huw Edwards reportedly set to ‘state his case’ in new Channel 4 series

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards will “state his case” in a new Channel 4 series, according to reports. The news comes after it was claimed Edwards had enlisted a publicist and was reportedly planning a comeback after Britain’s one-time highest-paid news anchor pleaded guilty, in 2024, to receiving and making indecent images of children. According to The Times, Channel 4 will air Edwards’s version of events, which one employee has allegedly described as “a desperate publicity stunt”. The channel is already facing criticism this week after allegations of rape made by Married at First Sight UK contestants. Huw Edwards intends to make his own documentary or podcast (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire) The Independent has contacted Channel 4 for comment. In March, Edwards put out a statement condemning a Channel 5 drama about the scandal, starring Martin Clunes, and shared that he planned …

BBC Storyville Boss, Huw Edwards Doc

BBC Storyville Boss, Huw Edwards Doc

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Sheffield DocFest has revealed its 2026 industry program, completing the lineup for its 33rd edition, which is taking place June 10-15, with a promise to “combine urgent global issues and conversations with the practical realities of working in documentary today.” Events will cover topics ranging from conflict reporting, citizen journalism, inclusivity, accessibility and environmental sustainability to the evolving role of AI and political suppression. Among a broad lineup of speakers, Nevine Mabro, the BBC’s new head of doc strand Storyville, and Fiona Campbell, the BBC’s director of factual, will discuss their commissioning strategy, while Academy Award-nominated directors Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent, The Eternal Memory) and Sara Dosa (Time and Water) will give masterclasses. “A behind-the-scenes look at Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards,” a docudrama for U.K. broadcaster 5, is also planned. This year’s industry lineup for documentary makers consists of 41 sessions, including ones focused on craft on live pitches, as well as the return of the popular Marketplace and Talent Meetings. “We are creating a unique space where the artistry on screen directly …

Channel 5 addresses Huw Edwards’ criticism over drama: ‘It wasn’t a collaboration with him’

Channel 5 addresses Huw Edwards’ criticism over drama: ‘It wasn’t a collaboration with him’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Channel 5 bosses have defended their drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards from criticism by the disgraced presenter – who claimed that producers made “no attempt to check” the truth with him. The feature-length drama, which aired on Channel 5 on Tuesday (24 March) and was made by production company Wonderhood, dramatises the events leading up to Edwards pleading guilty to making indecent images of children in 2024, including the grooming of a 17-year-old. Martin Clunes stars as Edwards, 64, with the TV film ending with a credit noting that Edwards was approached for comment for the film but declined. Clunes as Huw Edwards (Channel 5) Instead, Edwards put out a statement condemning the drama hours before its release, claiming that the producers had “belatedly” contacted him for comment and “made no attempt to check with me the truth of …

Martin Clunes’ Huw Edwards Performance Praised By Critics

Martin Clunes’ Huw Edwards Performance Praised By Critics

Published by Sam Flores

Martin Clunes has received widespread praise for his leading performance in a new drama about Huw Edwards, even if the show itself has proved to be more on the divisive side. The Wuthering Heights star portrayed the disgraced BBC News anchor in Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, a feature-length drama which aired on 5 (the broadcaster previously known as Channel 5) on Tuesday evening. After the show aired, the Wuthering Heights actor received unanimous praise for his portrayal of Edwards. However, reviews for the show itself were considerably more mixed, ranging from a lowly two stars in The Independent and The Standard to a perfect score in the Daily Mail. Here’s a selection of what critics have had to say about Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards so far… “Martin Clunes is in total go-for-broke mode in the title role, uncannily furrowing his brow to just the right degree and bringing overqualified Welsh-accented gravitas to a script that asks him to repeatedly sink to all kinds of mucky carnal urges. The project he’s in, …

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards review – Martin Clunes is far too good for this lurid Channel 5 drama

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards review – Martin Clunes is far too good for this lurid Channel 5 drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Arriving ahead of Channel 5’s one-off, ripped-from-the-headlines dramas about Kate McCann and murderer Tracie Andrews is Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, a lurid Goosebumps tale about Britain’s most famous disgraced newscaster. Tacky channel? Shot under a veil of secrecy before its announcement? Angry statements by Edwards to the Daily Mail condemning it? Check, check, check. But Power isn’t quite as lowbrow as you might imagine. Star Martin Clunes is in total go-for-broke mode in the title role, uncannily furrowing his brow to just the right degree and bringing overqualified Welsh-accented gravitas to a script that asks him to repeatedly sink to all kinds of mucky carnal urges. The project he’s in, though, doesn’t match him: it’s the kind of rush-job TV lobotomy that satisfies nothing but a viewer’s baser instincts. Likely out of legal necessity, Power doesn’t illuminate as much …