Martin Clunes, best known for his role in Doc Martin, portrays former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards in a new fact-based drama titled Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards. The programme, airing on Channel 5 on 24 March, depicts Edwards's fall from grace following his conviction for making indecent images of children. Clunes recreates Edwards's BBC news desk in a London canalside studio, capturing the anchor's final days before his suspension in July 2023.
The drama explores both Edwards's homosexuality, which a court medical report noted had long been suppressed, and his criminal sexual interest in children. It includes scenes of Edwards pursuing a late-teenage boy online, based on details provided by the real child's family. Clunes noted that the title Power reflects the inappropriate use of Edwards's public profile. The actor joked about whether he would face criticism for playing a gay man as a straight actor, calling it 'unfashionable'.
Clunes underwent minimal prosthetics for the role, with makeup artists using putty to flatten his ears and reduce his lip size to match Edwards's appearance. He lost some weight to emulate Edwards's chiselled look from boxing and exercise. The actor, who has taken on dramatic roles in ITV's Manhunt and Out There, described the challenge of playing a notorious figure, deflecting questions about donating his fee by joking that Channel 5's budget was modest.
