Martin Clunes transforms into Huw Edwards for new drama tracking downfall of disgraced BBC newsreader – and the likeness is uncanny
After a torrid year of scandal which saw off its director general and news chief, the BBC might have hoped for a quiet start to the new year.
But today, rival broadcaster Channel 5 put paid to those plans as it announced a new drama about the disgraced former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards.
Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes, 64, will play the Welsh anchorman in the two-part factual drama titled Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards.
It will focus on how the former BBC stalwart, who earned £475,000 a year at the corporation, led a double life as Britain’s most respected newsreader while he secretly groomed a vulnerable 17-year-old boy.
Edwards, 64, was suspended by the BBC in July 2023 and was later convicted of making indecent images of children for which he received a six-month suspended sentence in September 2024.
Filming on the controversial drama has concluded and it is currently in post-production.
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Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes, 64, will play disgraced BBC newsreader Huw Edwards in the two-part factual drama titled Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards
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It will focus on how the former BBC stalwart, who earned £475,000 a year at the corporation, led a double life as Britain’s most respected newsreader while he secretly groomed a vulnerable 17-year-old boy
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No transmission date has been announced but it is likely to be broadcast in the Spring.
The Daily Mail understands Channel 5 bosses tipped off the corporation about the production before the announcement.
In a photograph from the set of the drama, a suited Mr Clunes is seen posing with his elbow on the News At 10 desk at the heart of the BBC newsroom.
One BBC insider said: ‘The timing couldn’t be worse for the BBC. After all the recent scandals, the last thing the corporation needs is a new drama about the darkest chapter in our history. Everyone wants to forget about that awful man and move on.’
Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie, who resigned in November after the fallout over doctored Panorama footage of Donald Trump, has previously described Edwards’s crimes as ‘appalling’.
The corporation apologised for its handling of the initial grooming complaint in 2023 which was not ‘escalated quickly enough’.
The source added: ‘It is a massive blow for Jonathan [Munro, interim head of BBC news], who fancies himself for the job permanently. He and Huw were very pally. He will certainly not want people to be reminded of that.’
Mr Munro took over the role after Deborah Turness’s resignation as CEO of BBC News in November over the Trump row.
He has been described as ‘a great friend of Edwards’ before the scandal and recused himself from all editorial decisions about the BBC coverage of the newsreader’s fall from grace.
The Daily Mail understands that no BBC executives will be shown on screen in the drama, and it will instead focus on the grooming and Edward’s online friendship with a paedophile who shared child abuse images with him.
In a release for the drama, Channel 5 said: ‘Building on extensive factual research over the past 12 months, including extensive first hand interviews and co-operation from those at the heart of the scandal and exclusive access to The Sun newspaper’s award-winning investigation into Edwards…
‘This unflinching drama paints a complex, emotional and nuanced portrait, revealing how the grooming of a vulnerable 17-year old over many months led to Edwards’ downfall, disgrace and the end of his life in the public eye.’
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Edwards, 64, was suspended by the BBC in July 2023 and was later convicted of making indecent images of children for which he received a six-month suspended sentence in September 2024
Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5 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.’
David Abraham, Founder and Group CEO, Wonderhood Studios said: ‘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.’
It comes as the US president is suing the corporation for $10 billion dollars over the doctored Panorama footage.
The government is also preparing to publish its whitepaper in the Spring about the future of the BBC licence fee.
