‘No One Expects Him Back’: What Now for the BBC’s Huw Edwards?

THE GUARDIAN: Suspended presenter remains silent over partly withdrawn claims he paid a young person for explicit images but still faces internal inquiry

It is believed that subsequent complaints about Huw Edwards messaging younger colleagues could cause him more trouble than the original disputed Sun story. Photograph: Chris Jackson/PA
Last September, Huw Edwards sprinted out of a barbershop near his south London home after being summoned to the BBC’s headquarters so he could announce Queen Elizabeth’s death to the nation.

Now the BBC is weighing up whether it can ever reuse footage of Edwards’s historic royal broadcast, with the presenter still suspended in the wake of the Sun’s partly-retracted allegation that he paid a 17-year-old for explicit images.

It has been almost two months since the newspaper sparked both the fiercest and shortest BBC scandal in recent history. Within a week, it went from being a story that could topple the director general to one that was barely meriting a mention in the wider media.

Yet questions remain for the BBC, the Sun and the presenter himself – and it is unclear whether Edwards will ever be able to unwind the knotty mess of public, personal and workplace issues that have him left him off air.

One senior BBC journalist summarised the verdict of large parts of the newsroom when it comes to Edwards’s employment prospects: “No one expects him to come back.” » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Saturday, September 2, 2023

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Jul 16, 2023 | The Sun is facing questions over its coverage of allegations against the 61-year-old newsreader - with some asking whether the claims should have been reported at all. Sky's Sophy Ridge asks former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair his opinion on whether or not certain institutions are "gunning for" the BBC.

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The Sun’s Splash, Huw Edwards and the Drama That Gripped Britain and Shook the BBC

Huw Edwards is a household name, who made an enticing target for the tabloid. Photograph: BBC
THE OBSERVER: In one week, the allegations and responses to them have plunged the national broadcaster into yet another crisis – and raised serious questions about the Murdoch tabloid

It was a grim sort of guessing game played across Britain last week: who was the mystery BBC broadcaster who had reportedly paid £35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images? By Tuesday the field of suspects had narrowed, as horrified presenters, misidentified in social media posts, attempted to distance themselves. Then on Wednesday came the revelation: the hidden man at the centre of this tabloid newspaper accusation was Huw Edwards, the BBC’s lead news anchor, whose calm and authoritative voice had announced the death of the Queen.

The astonishing allegations carried in the Sun newspaper last weekend have split the nation and put many leading commentators at loggerheads, to say nothing of pitting an endangered BBC against Rupert Murdoch’s news empire.

“The idea a big public figure has a double life is going to excite huge interest, but we don’t know the facts yet,” said one former senior BBC news chief. “The BBC must work out if it has been brought into disrepute. The claims could certainly be construed as very undermining of Edwards’ role as the face of the BBC’s coverage of state occasions. He has a special relationship of trust with the public.” » | Vanessa Thorpe and Jon Ungoed-Thomas | Saturday, July 15, 2023

Huw Edwards: Huge pressure to name presenter amid allegations, BBC chair says: The BBC was under "huge pressure" to reveal that Huw Edwards was the presenter facing media allegations last week, its acting chairwoman has said. »

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THE NEW YORK TIMES: The BBC is no ordinary media outlet and its presenter is no ordinary journalist. But the network’s wall-to-wall coverage has raised questions of its own.

Huw Edwards in London in March. | Ian West/Press Association, via Getty Images
There were urgent NATO meetings about the war in Ukraine, raging floods from India to Vermont, and a record heat wave across America. But this week the BBC wound up airing wall-to-wall coverage of a different story: itself.

The confirmation that Huw Edwards, a prominent BBC anchor, was the unnamed person at the heart of allegations of sexual misconduct ended days of breathless speculation that consumed Britain’s public broadcaster. Yet it left a lingering sense of unease about the role of the British news media — and its even more intrusive cousin, social media — in the unmasking of a public figure.

Mr. Edwards, his wife said on Wednesday, has been hospitalized with a mental breakdown aggravated by a tabloid newspaper report that he paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager for sexually explicit images. The police said they found no evidence that Mr. Edwards had committed a crime, raising questions about why the BBC devoted hours of airtime, or the papers acres of newsprint, to what turned out to be the private life of one of the broadcaster’s stars.

The allegations were salacious, to be sure — catnip for the British press — and the BBC was trying to show journalistic integrity by not shying away from embarrassing news about a member of its own staff. » | Mark Landler | Thursday, July 13, 2023

‘I hope Huw Edwards is shown the same kindness that saved me when I first came clean about my problems’: Following the BBC star’s wife describing the newsreader’s mental health, one writer shares his own story about dealing with depression »

Andy Coulson advising Huw Edwards’s family on crisis management: Ex-News of the World editor takes on old News UK colleagues over Sun’s allegations against suspended BBC presenter »

Huw Edwards: the unanswered questions hovering over presenter’s future: The Sun and the BBC have both come under criticism over the paper’s coverage and the broadcaster’s handling of the scandal »

Huw Edwards Named by His Wife as BBC Presenter Involved in Explicit Photo Scandal

Jul 13, 2023 | Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan says Huw Edwards’ wife released an emotional statement confirming he’s the BBC Presenter involved in the explicit photo scandal. “I know him a bit, I feel sorry for the situation he’s in, but I also need to know more about what’s been going on,” Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan said.

BBC in Shock as There Are Now Seven Allegations against Huw Edwards | Oliver Whitfield Miocic

Jul 13, 2023 | “Even though almost everybody in the building knew, to have that name confirmed still came as a shock to many here.”

Huw Edwards: BBC to focus on ‘fact finding’ as police say no criminal case: Broadcaster resumes investigation as Sun faces questions over its suggestion presenter had bought explicit images from 17-year-old which the young person denied »

Top News Anchor Is Identified as Person Suspended by the BBC: The wife of Huw Edwards, one of the BBC’s most prominent figures, said in a statement that her husband suffered from mental health issues. The police said there was no evidence of a crime. »

Huw Edwards will now be remembered in a very different way: The newsreader who told the world of Queen Elizabeth II's death is now known for being the presenter at the heart of the latest BBC scandal »

Huw Edwards Named as ‘Sex Picture Scandal’ BBC Presenter by Wife

Jul 12, 2023 | The BBC presenter Huw Edwards is being treated in hospital, as his wife says he's suffered another serious episode of depression after what she called "five extremely difficult days" for their family.

Vicky Flind confirmed Mr Edwards was the household name at the centre of a series of recent allegations and said her husband would respond to the claims when he was well enough.

Meanwhile Scotland Yard said it had found no evidence that a criminal offence had been committed and would take no further action.

Huw Edwards Named as Suspended BBC Presenter by His Wife

Jul 12, 2023 | Huw Edwards has been named by his wife as the suspended BBC presenter facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

Wife of Huw Edwards Names Him as BBC Presenter at Centre of Allegations

THE GUARDIAN: News comes shortly after Met says there is no evidence suspended presenter committed criminal offence

Huw Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images. Photograph: Chris Jackson/PA
Vicky Flind, the wife of newsreader Huw Edwards, has named him as the BBC presenter suspended after allegations he paid for sexually explicit images.

She said her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and is currently “receiving inpatient hospital care, where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future”.

Her statement came shortly after the Metropolitan police said there was no evidence that Edwards committed a criminal offence, and the force would end its inquiries relating to the case.

The Sun had alleged the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos, starting when the individual was 17 – a potentially serious criminal offence. Officers have now concluded there is no evidence to support this allegation.

Flind, who has five children with the presenter, said in a statement: “In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband, Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental wellbeing and to protect our children. » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Huw Edwards’ wife says BBC presenter in hospital for mental health care after allegations in the Sun – live »

Huw Edwards latest: Presenter at centre of BBC sex scandal named by wife »

Huw Edwards' wife's statement in full: Presenter is suffering from 'serious mental health issues': Vicky Flind reveals her husband is receiving 'in-patient hospital care' after suffering a 'serious episode' of depression in recent days »