Martin Clunes is set to portray disgraced BBC presenter Huw Edwards in a new two-part factual drama on Channel 5.
The series, currently titled Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, will delve into how one of British television’s most recognisable figures became embroiled in a major scandal at the public broadcaster.
Edwards, once among the BBC’s highest-paid newsreaders, presented News at Ten for decades and delivered some of the nation’s most significant stories, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II. His career ended abruptly when he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children in July 2024.
The Channel 5 series aims to recount the presenter’s "double life" and the unfolding of the scandal, incorporating interviews with those who initially reported the story. Ben Frow, chief content officer at Channel 5, commented on the gravity of the subject matter.
“This is an important and shocking story of how a man in a position of power and trust betrayed that status,” Frow stated. “By gaining exclusive access to the key individuals involved and those who investigated the story, we explore the human cost behind the headlines. As a close collaboration between 5’s factual and scripted teams, this is a first for the channel.”
Edwards’ downfall began in July 2023 following a report by The Sun alleging a “top BBC Star” had paid a teenager for sexual pictures. Days later, his wife publicly named him as the presenter at the centre of the allegations, leading to his resignation in April on medical advice. He was subsequently charged in June 2024 after a Metropolitan Police investigation.
A month later, Edwards admitted guilt to making indecent images of children, confirming he possessed 41 photographs on WhatsApp, including seven classified as the most serious type.
The BBC said it was told in November 2023, when Edwards was suspended, that he had been arrested on “suspicion of serious offences”, five months before he resigned from corporation in April.
In a statement, the broadcaster claimed Edwards would have been dismissed “immediately” if he was charged while still an employee at the corporation.
The new series will be directed by Michael Samuels, known for his work on The Windermere Children and Any Human Heart.
