'Huw Edwards invited me to hotel room after Prince Philip's funeral', says young producer

A man who worked as a junior producer at the BBC has claimed that Huw Edwards invited him to a hotel room, prompting calls for details of the company’s internal investigation to be shared. 

The complainant told the media on Thursday that Edwards had adopted a “pushy” tone as he made the offer following Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021. 

Speaking anonymously, he said that Edwards shared a picture of his hotel suite. 

“If you’re around tomorrow night, let me know,” the longtime News at 10 anchor is said to have passed on. “There’s plenty of room here.”

Former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Edwards is said to have made the advance despite the Covid restrictions that were in place at the time. 

After he turned down the proposal, the young producer was told: “You missed a good night.”

The claims were first reported by The Sun and corroborated by BBC News, with the latter’s special correspondent Lucy Manning saying the producer felt “let down”. 

Edwards, 62, pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children on Wednesday.

He admitted having 41 indecent images of children, with seven being of the most serious type, sent to him by a convicted paedophile.

Edwards is set to be sentenced in September. 

Huw Edwards will be sentenced in September (PA Wire)

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s hearing, the culture secretary Lisa Nandy has raised concerns with the BBC about the corporation’s handling of its investigation. 

A mural in Edwards’s hometown of Llangennech, that had been set up to honour the now shamed anchorman, has been painted over. 

The disclosure of the junior producer, with the potential for more stories to follow, is likely to ramp up the pressure on the BBC to disclose its investigation findings. 

The probe began in July 2023 but the Beeb dropped its investigation in April. 

It sparked after claims made initially in the Sun that Edwards had sent a 17-year-old £35,000 for explicit images.

Edwards officially resigned in April having taken leave following the claims. 

BBC director general Tim Davie has said it is “not sitting on anything that … we need to share” despite urges for clarification even from Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine.