Martin Clunes has opened up about playing disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards in the forthcoming Channel 5 TV series Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards.
To prepare for the role, the 64-year-old star of Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly examined an extensive archive of footage, describing one particular clip as “chilling” in light of the later revelations about Edwards.
Edwards, 64, was once one of the most respected presenters at the BBC, fronting News at 10 for decades. His career came crashing down in 2024, when he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.
Power, a new two-part series airing later this month, charts Edwards’s downfall, and re-creates the presenter’s interactions with a teenager known by the pseudonym “Ryan Davies”.
In an interview with The Times, Clunes spoke about the research that had gone into his performance. “I wanted to find bits where he wasn’t reading the news, because we’ve seen that Huw Edwards,” he said.
“Little snippets of him at awards ceremonies or when he was off duty, to see how he rolled. He’s a tiny bit more Welsh when he’s not reading the news.”
One scene in the series depicts Edwards texting Davies before presenting the Ten O’Clock News.
“One of the archive bits I watched was an outside broadcast,” Clunes continued. “He’s outside Number 10 at night in a coat, and he’s just texting, waiting to go live, which I found chilling in light of what we know.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Clunes said he didn’t think he “judged” Edwards in his performance.
“I never get into whether I like or dislike a character I’m playing. I don’t think I’ve judged him in my performance. If it looks like I have, it’s unintentional,” he said.
The scandal surrounding Edwards began in July 2023, when a report in The Sun alleged that a “top BBC Star” had paid a teenager for sexual images.
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Shortly after, Edwards’ wife named him as the presenter in question. He subsequently exited his role at the BBC, and, in June 2024, he was charged by the Metropolitan Police following an investigation.
In court, Edwards admitted to making indecent images of children, confirming he possessed 41 photographs on WhatsApp, seven of which were classified as the most serious type. He received a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years.
Power is directed by Michael Samuels, known for The Windermere Children and Any Human Heart.
