A new feature-length drama will delve into the dramatic downfall of Huw Edwards, once one of Britain’s most recognised and trusted newsreaders, with actor Martin Clunes set to portray the disgraced broadcaster. The film, titled Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, explores the double life that led to his complete exit from public life following his conviction for making indecent images of children.
Edwards, a prominent figure at the BBC and one of its highest-paid presenters, was a familiar face on News at Ten for decades, delivering major national announcements, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II. His career unravelled in July 2023 when a national newspaper reported that “a top BBC star” had paid a teenager for sexual images. Days later, his wife publicly named him as the presenter at the centre of the scandal. He resigned from the BBC in April and was subsequently charged in June 2024 following a Metropolitan Police investigation. In September 2024, Edwards was sentenced to a six-month jail term, suspended for two years, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children.
The factual drama, directed by Michael Samuels, known for The Windermere Children, focuses on how a vulnerable young man, played by Osian Morgan, came into contact with one of television’s most powerful figures. The production is based on first-hand interviews with those close to the story and incorporates many of the text messages exchanged between Edwards and the young man.
Clunes, 64, best known for roles in Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly, admitted that portraying Edwards presented a significant challenge from the outset. He explained his motivation for taking on such a sensitive role: “Beyond the salacious curiosity around this story, I really thought there was another story worth telling, that of ‘Ryan’ and his family.” He added, “Obviously the press and the media have focussed on the fallen big man, Huw Edwards, which, of course, is a big story. But behind that, there’s this lad and his family whose lives got turned upside down and rather spoiled. I’m not on any social media and I had no idea that this sort of thing went on, I really didn’t.”
In preparation for the role, Clunes meticulously reviewed archive footage of Edwards, aiming to understand the man behind the newsreader persona. “I was familiar with Huw Edwards, the newsreader, and how he presented himself when he was reading the news,” he explained. “But I’ve seen other actors make the mistake of just inhabiting that projected face of a famous person or politician, I knew that we needed the other side of him too.” He noted the difficulty in finding clips of Edwards away from the news desk but persisted, observing, “I noticed from looking at that archive that he was different when he wasn’t reading the news, and I wanted to make that distinction. If you listen to his rhythms, he’s far more Welsh when he’s not newsreading.”
Clunes acknowledged the discomfort inherent in dealing with such sensitive subject matter. “Sometimes it’s harder when a role is more nebulous and you can’t pin your performance on something, but we had transcripts of text messages between Huw Edwards and ‘Ryan’, and they do appear in the script, so we breathed life into them,” he said. The emotional toll was evident: “It was hard towards the end of the story, hearing Osian’s vulnerable voice when Edwards was bullying him, and the hurt of this boy reaching out in a sensitive way. I didn’t feel very nice at the end of those scenes, so again it was definitely good to have Osian in the room to talk to afterwards.” Despite the gravity, Clunes maintains a pragmatic approach: “I’m not a very heavy person, so my way of dealing with things is generally to be a little facetious and sort of lighthearted, even though I take the work very seriously.”
He praised the collaborative environment, stating, “I really like my job, and the problem-solving aspect of it, and I really enjoyed working with Michael.” He also appreciated working with a familiar crew, adding, “I was working with the same camera crew that we had on [ITV drama] Out There, who I adore, so I was among friends. I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise.” For scenes involving phone calls between Edwards and Ryan, Clunes insisted on both actors being present in the same room. “Luckily, I did have Osian there with me, who plays Ryan, and he was terrific,” Clunes said. “A lot of our scenes are seemingly in isolation on phone calls, so we decided to both be there in the room for the other actor.” This decision was crucial for capturing the nuanced intimacy of the exchanges. “Usually, if you film a phone call, the director or assistant director will read out the other lines, and you have to act to that. But because of the intimate nature of so many of these phone calls, we felt we couldn’t do that. There’s an intimacy on the phone.” He concluded, “Having us both in the room for filming really helped to create that feeling. There was only one time it wasn’t possible to be in the same place, and I phoned Osian directly for that scene. He’s a brilliant young actor, I was just bowled over by him and really enjoyed working with him.”
Reflecting on how audiences might perceive him in such a dark role, Clunes remained unfazed. “I’ve played a murderer before and I’m vile in Wuthering Heights, so this isn’t my first dark role, but I always just take work from what’s on offer, and I’ve never had a plan.” He added, “I’ve always been lucky enough to balance light-hearted jobs like Doc Martin with dramas in-between. I’m not desperate to reshape myself – I’d play someone like Doc Martin again in a heartbeat.”
Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards is scheduled to air on Channel 5 on Tuesday, March 24, at 9pm.
