Tonight sees the launch of Channel 5's brand new drama series Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, which portrays a fictionalised version of what happened to BBC newsreader Huw Edwards in 2023 and his subsequent conviction for possession of indecent images of children.
The two-part series stars Martin Clunes as Edwards and details Edwards' double life as one of the country's most popular newsreaders to the fallout of his conviction in 2024, and the grooming of a 17-year-old boy.
Ahead of the series release Channel 5 has said of the series, "Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards is 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. It has been produced in accordance with Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. All allegations made in the film were put to Huw Edwards via his solicitors six weeks before transmission."
As the show airs this evening, the question remains, where is the real Huw Edwards now? Here's what you need to know.
Who is Huw Edwards?
Played by Martin Clunes in the Channel 5 series, Huw Edwards is a former BBC newsreader, aged 64. Originally from Bridgend in Wales, Huw went onto study at Cardiff University, and then became a reporter for a local radio station in Swansea.
In 1984 he joined the BBC as a news trainee. He remained at the broadcaster until 2024, going through several roles and presenting on the Six O'Clock News, Panorama, News Night and many more. Over the course of his career he broke several important stories including telling the nation of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1993 he married TV producer Vicky Flind and the pair have five children together. In 2024 it was announced the pair had separated and Flind had reportedly filed for divorce, as per The Times.
What was Huw Edwards convicted for?
In 2023 The Sun published a story featuring an interview with a mother who claimed a BBC presenter had paid her child a substantial amount of money in exchange for explicit photos. The mother alleged this had started when the child was 17 years old in 2020 and the money had gone onto fund a crack cocaine habit.
The BBC then said they had suspended a presenter and had contacted the Metropolitan Police. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made.”
On 12 July his wife Vicky Flind named him as the person at the centre of the allegations, out of concern for his mental health. She told PA news agency, Edwards was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and receiving “in-patient hospital care”. The Metropolitan Police at the same time said they had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
In April 2024 he then reassigned from the BBC on "medical advice."
On 29 July 2024, the Metropolitan Police confirmed Edwards had been charged with making indecent images of children. The alleged offences were said to have taken place on a WhatsApp chat between 2020 and 2022.
Edwards then pleaded guilty to making indecent images and in September 2024 was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was told to attend a sex offender's treatment programme and was added to the sex offenders' register for seven years.
Where is Huw Edwards now?
Following his sentencing, Edwards has largely remained out of public view. His wife filed for divorce in October 2024.
Ahead of the release of the Channel 5 drama, Edwards hit out at the series, claiming the channel made "no attempt to check with me the truth of any aspect of their narrative before going ahead with the production," during an interview with the Daily Mail.
He added: "They belatedly asked for a response after the drama had been made, while reserving the right to edit any such response. They also refused to disclose whether any of those making allegations had been paid for their contributions. Channel 5’s 'factual drama', is hardly likely to convey the reality of what happened."
A spokesperson for Channel 5 told the Daily Mail: "Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards is 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. It has been produced in accordance with Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. All allegations made in the film were put to Huw Edwards via his solicitors six weeks before transmission."
During Edwards' interview with the Daily Mail he said he planned to share his "side of the story" in the future and opened up about his mental health struggles.
"I am making an effort to produce my own account of these terrible events. This is a slow process given the fragile state of my health.
"I have been open about my struggle with persistent mental illness over a period of 25 years. What is less well known is the severity of that condition, which was managed successfully until the downward spiral which led to an appalling outcome," he said. "Mental illness is misunderstood by many but can never be an excuse for criminality. It can, however, at least help explain why people sometimes behave in shocking and reprehensible ways, and why things fell apart for me in the way they did."
Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards starts on Channel 5 tonight
