Disgraced former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has criticised Channel 5's new drama about his downfall, vowing to challenge what he calls 'one-sided' claims. The 64-year-old, who was given a suspended prison sentence in September 2024 for making indecent images of children, said he would produce his own account later this year.
The drama, titled 'Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards', stars Martin Clunes and dramatises events leading to Edwards's arrest and conviction. It includes his communication with convicted paedophile Alex Williams and a groomed teenager via WhatsApp. Edwards claimed the network made 'no attempt to check with me the truth of any aspect of their narrative'.
In a statement, Edwards said: 'Much has been written and reported in the past week following Channel 5's one-sided account. Other opportunities will arise later this year for me to state my case and to challenge the misleading or fabricated claims made in recent coverage.' He added that 'a number of serious questions still remain to be answered, and not just by me'.
Channel 5 defended the programme, saying it was 'based on extensive interviews with the victim, his family, the journalists who revealed his story, text exchanges between the victim and Edwards, and court reporting'. The network stated that all allegations were put to Edwards via his solicitors six weeks before transmission and that the drama complied with Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
Edwards was arrested in September 2023 and suspended from the BBC in April 2024 after a 40-year career. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and placed on the sex offender register. The drama has left some viewers feeling 'sickened' by its revelations.
