Channel 5 Drama Exposes Huw Edwards' 'Heart of Darkness' Texts
The executive producer behind Channel 5's new drama about Huw Edwards has revealed that reading the disgraced broadcaster's text messages felt like "going into the heart of darkness". The one-off programme, titled Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, dramatises the events leading to Edwards pleading guilty to making indecent images of children in 2024.
Martin Clunes Stars as Disgraced Broadcaster
Martin Clunes takes on the role of the former News at 10 host, whose grooming of a 17-year-old is explored in detail. The drama, set to air on Tuesday 24 March at 9pm, uses the fake name "Ryan Davies" for the anonymous victim, portrayed by actor Osian Morgan.
Executive producer Samantha Anstiss disclosed that writer Mark Burt based the script on affidavits and primary source materials provided by The Sun newspaper. These included court reports detailing Edwards' psychological evaluations and text exchanges.
'Visceral and Disturbing' Text Messages
"I must admit when I first saw them, I felt like I was going into the heart of darkness," Anstiss stated during a London screening on 17 March. "These text messages were in the most visceral, disturbing way, a very imbalanced relationship of power. In an unflinching way, we had to tell the story behind those messages. They were disturbing."
Anstiss highlighted one particularly chilling text featured in the drama, where Edwards tells Davies: "I love you but you kill me." She added that the messages served as the starting point for meeting the victim's family and the young man himself, whom she described as incredibly resilient.
Victim Involved in Production Process
Mark Burt emphasised that the anonymous victim was involved at every stage of production. "It was his story and he had access to it at every single point," Burt explained. "He's read the scripts. We had all the texts, we had multiple texts. Huge sequences in the drama are verbatim. That was the communication and the rest we built around it."
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
The drama revisits the legal case against Edwards. In July 2023, The Sun reported that a top BBC star had paid a teenager for sexual images, with Edwards' wife later naming him as the presenter. Although Edwards was never charged in relation to the grooming victim, he faced other charges.
In June 2024, the Metropolitan Police charged Edwards with three counts of making indecent images of children, including receiving digital copies. In court, he admitted to possessing 41 photographs on WhatsApp, seven of which were classified as the most serious category.
Edwards received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, in September 2024, and was added to the sex offenders' register. The Channel 5 drama aims to shed light on the power dynamics and disturbing communications that characterised this high-profile case.
