5 has announced the two-part drama The Downfall of Huw Edwards and shared a first look photo from the project. It will star Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes as the former BBC News host whose dark revelations about his personal life led to a spectacular fall from grace.
In 2023, The Sun published allegations that a BBC presenter had paid a young person for sexually explicit photos. The BBC suspended the then unnamed male presenter in response, who was confirmed to be Edwards by his wife Vicky Flind.
Following a police investigation, Edwards received three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and April 2022. He pleaded guilty and was given a suspended sentence.
The Downfall of Huw Edwards has been in the works for over a year, with 5’s factual and scripted commissioning teams working together for the first time.
The extensive research included exclusive interviews with people involved in the story as it went public and evolved over the year, while the teams had access to material from The Sun’s investigation into Edwards.
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5’s boss Ben Frow said: “This is an important and shocking story – of how a man in a position of power and trust betrayed that status.
“By gaining exclusive access to the key individuals involved and those who investigated the story, we explore the human cost behind the headlines. As a close collaboration between 5’s factual and scripted teams this is a first for the channel.”
ITV
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Wonderhood Studios’ David Abraham added: “This project marks Wonderhood’s first step into drama and builds on our record in producing premium documentaries about challenging subjects that matter.
“Drama is also a medium with the power to uncover profound psychological truths, and we are incredibly grateful to our brave contributors in trusting us with their story.”
The Windemere Children and Any Human Heart’s Michael Samuels is directing the project, while The Trial’s Mark Burt has penned the script.
The Downfall of Huw Edwards does not have a release date yet.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.