Huw Edwards has published the first poem on his Substack page, following backlash over his attempt to restart his public career. The disgraced former BBC presenter was given a six-month suspended prison sentence and lost his job at the corporation after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children in July 2024.
The 64-year-old recently announced plans for the newsletter, saying he wanted to make a "positive contribution" around mental health. His first piece, titled "Knowing me, knowing you, ahaa", appears to reflect on hidden battles, judgement, shame and grief over the death of his father, Hywel Teifi Edwards, 16 years after he died in 2010.
What the poem says
In an introduction, Edwards said: "For the first time in my life, I have attempted to write a poem. I hope readers find it illuminating. One of the most distressing episodes in 2024 was seeing the nature of my relationship with my father wilfully misrepresented by the media, and by Welsh-speaking journalists in particular."
Throughout the poem, he describes a son as accursed, defenceless, rejected, blighted and finally penitent. He also touches on how complex people can be and that their struggles are not always evident. He writes: "Love exerts its cruel price, the silent ire between father and son; the hint of a smile, the shadow of a frown - a countenance inscrutable, with cunning eyes."
Other lines include: "Blighted son crippled by regret reaching out to touch the truth; waiting quietly for the comfort of forgiveness - but ocean and land are dead and silent." He also writes: "In your torment you were heroic, in your anguish you voiced no cry; in your death you opened your heart - I knew you, you knew me."
The poem concludes: "Penitent son, self-destructive to the last, clutching for truth in the story; crying out for strength and embrace of love - but ocean and land are dead and silent."
Personal tribute to father
Edwards said the work was "above all a personal tribute to my late father, Hywel Teifi Edwards, the pre-eminent Eisteddfod historian and an authority on the cultural condition of Victorian Wales." At the time of writing, the poem had received 30 likes and eight reposts.
Backlash over Substack launch
Edwards was one of the BBC's highest-paid and most prominent newsreaders before he was axed two years ago. He admitted to possessing 41 indecent images of children; seven were classed as the most serious category A abuse, and two showed victims aged seven to nine.
In June, he announced his decision to launch a Substack with hopes of rebuilding "some kind of worthwhile life" - a move many branded "disgraceful". At the time, he said: "There will be some who do not wish to read my work, and I respect that choice. But for those who might be interested, I would like to start tentatively by offering some commentary and analysis based on my long experience."
"I would like to offer thoughts on matters of national and local interest. These include the state of our politics, the media, journalism, and culture. But in light of my recent experiences, I would also like to talk about the criminal justice system: the courts, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Probation Service."
"I am also ready to be unflinchingly honest about the reality of long-term mental illness, and the continued failure to recognise its devastating effects on affected individuals, their families and friends. If my posts help others facing similar challenges, so much the better."
