Disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards faced a fierce backlash on TalkTV after it emerged that he has launched a Substack blog in an attempt to revive his journalism career. Edwards pleaded guilty in 2024 to three counts of making indecent images of children, yet he now vows to "post once a week" to make a "positive contribution" around mental health.
TalkTV Host Ian Collins Leads Criticism
TalkTV host Ian Collins tore into the 64-year-old for this new move. Addressing viewers, Collins said: "If you are bored in this heat and you're looking for something to do, we've just uncovered that Huw Edwards has launched a Substack. He says he will post once a week, no plans for any paid subs, obviously, he couldn't monetise this. This is two years after he admitted to accessing indecent images of children."
Reading out Edwards' first post, Collins continued: "'There will be some who do not wish to read my work and I respect that choice.' I was just looking at it, and his opening line is 'Why am I here?' He says 'I was an early subscriber to Substack, the platform promoted serious debate, I'd like to offer thoughts on matters national and local.'"
Edwards' Mental Health Claims Dismissed
Edwards wrote that he is "ready to be unflinchingly honest about the reality of long-term mental illness," to which Collins sarcastically remarked: "Course you are." The presenter read further: "'If my posts help others facing similar challenges, so much the better.'" Collins then raged: "I think it was the posts that contributed to wrecking you people and children's lives because they've been exploited by paedophiles and those that wish to view it, it's not a harmless crime. I think, Huw, that's probably what you should be majoring on, looking for some way of putting something back, not writing a flipping Substack. Whose going to want to read Huw Edwards' Substack?"
Guest Calls for Scrutiny of Subscribers
TalkTV guest Peter Barnes shared his thoughts, adding: "Whoever just subscribed to it, let's put them on a list and we can have a look at their hard drives, shall we?" Referencing Edwards' refusal to repay the estimated £200,000 BBC salary that he received after his guilty admission, Barnes slammed: "I would like the taxpayer money back that you got from your salary, that you've rather kept, and you can get in a deep, dark hole and we can forget about you, thank you very much. The nation does not need to hear from Huw Edwards anymore; the man has disgraced himself. He should, in my opinion, be in prison. Why anyone would want to subscribe to that, I find it perverse if I'm being honest."
Details of Edwards' Conviction
In 2024, Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to possessing 41 indecent images of children sent to him via WhatsApp, which included seven Category A images, the most extreme and serious classification. Despite this, the former presenter avoided major jail time, as he received a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years and was placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.
