The story so far: TheBritish Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) star news presenter Huw Edwards is at the centre of a scandal over paying for sexually explicit photos. While his identity was initially kept hidden when the scandal broke, Mr. Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind issued a statement on July 12, revealing him to be the accused BBC presenter.
In the statement, Ms. Flind stated that the 61-year-old host of BBC’s flagship show ‘News at 10’ is suffering from ‘serious mental health issues’ and is now receiving in-patient care at a hospital, where he will stay for the foreseeable future. She added that Mr. Edwards has been battling severe depression in recent years.
A screen in BBC Broadcasting house, in central London, displaying a photo of presenter Huw Edwards, in London, Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
The news was first broken by British tabloid The Sun on July 7, when it revealed that a BBC news presenter had allegedly payed £35,000 since 2020 to someone who was then a teenager in return for ‘sordid images’. Mr. Edwards was suspended by the BBC after further details of the scandal emerged.
Mr. Edwards, a Welsh journalist who began his career with the BBC in 1984, has been the broadcaster’s top newsreader, often heading its flagship shows — Six O’ Clock News and Ten O’ Clock News. Apart from covering several elections, he has also presented BBC’s commentary at the Olympic ceremonies and recently delivered the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death to a grieving nation.
What is the allegation?
On July 7, The Sun reported that a ‘top BBC presenter’ was taken off air as allegations of him paying a teenager for sexual images were being investigated. Speaking to the girl’s mother, the tabloid reported that the payment was allegedly used to fund a drug habit. The mother claimed that the BBC star had been paying her child since 2020, when she was 17, demanding explicit photos via ‘sleazy messages’.
Photo of The Sun tabloid’s frontpage on July 7
| Photo Credit:
Sky News
The report immediately caused an uproar with many BBC presenters coming under the cloud of suspicion on social media. Several top BBC hosts such as Jeremy Vine, Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell were speculated to be the presenter in question, and faced severe attacks.
On July 9, BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell publicly refuted claims and reported to the London Metropolitan police after being wrongly named as the BBC presenter at the centre of the scandal. Similarly, BBC’s Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker tweeted, “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me”. TV host Rylan Clark also wrote, “Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun – that ain’t me babe”. BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine too echoed Mr. Clark, tweeting, “it certainly ain’t me.”
Meanwhile, the girl’s lawyer, on July 11, told BBC that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality,” rubbishing The Sun’s report. Defending its reporting, The Sun said that the concerned parents filed a complaint to the BBC. However, no action had been taken on it.
As mystery around the accused BBC presenter continued, the London Metropolitan police issued a statement that they had concluded their assessment and that there was no indication that a criminal offence had been committed. While the age of consent in the UK is 16, images of any person under 18 can be considered ‘child pornography’.
What was BBC’s response?
After The Sun report broke, the BBC, on July 10, stated that it had been aware of a complaint against a male presenter in May, but “new allegations were put of a different nature.” Without naming Mr. Edwards, the British national broadcaster said that it had suspended a male staff member after allegations of payments for sexually explicit photos of teenager. The news house, which is publically funded and operates under the UK’s Culture Ministry, was pulled up by state minister Lucy Frazer who spoke with BBC Director General Tim Davie about the ‘deeply concerning allegations.’ Mr. Davie assured her that the BBC was “investigating swiftly and sensitively”.
BBC Director General Tim Davie
| Photo Credit:
Hannah McKay
The Sun released the text messages between the ‘BBC presenter’ and the girl, claiming that the BBC star had never hidden his identity to the then-17-year-old and had contacted her ‘out of the blue’.
The BBC then released a timeline of the sex scandal beginning from May when it first received the complaint against its star presenter Huw Edwards.
May: Victim’s family complains to BBC about ‘presenter’
As per the BBC account, a family member of the victim complained to the BBC’s corporate investigations team about a BBC presenter’s behaviour. While the complaint did not include an allegation of criminality, the allegations were serious enough to merit further investigation.
June: BBC begins internal probe
Initial communication between BBC and the family was established to verify identity and the complaint. However, later, the family claimed that the ‘no one from BBC rang them up for a proper interview’. BBC claims that while an initial call was attempted, no additional attempts were made to contact the family. The case, however, remained open.
July 6: The Sun contacts BBC with allegations
The Sun contacted the BBC’s corporate press office regarding allegations against Mr. Edwards of payment for sexually explicit photos of a teenager. The BBC claimed that ‘new allegations’ were brought to light, different from those received by the investigations team. Mr. Edwards was made aware of the allegations and the corporation agreed to take him off air while the allegations were being investigated. The Welsh journalist last appeared on air in Edinburgh for a special broadcast on Scottish celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III.
July 7-8: The Sun breaks story on BBC presenter, BBC contacts police
The Sun’s story broke, quoting the victim’s mother. After the revelations, BBC contacted the Metropolitan police and resumed its internal investigation.
July 9-10: BBC suspends presenter
Without naming him, BBC suspended Mr. Edwards, who allegedly contacted the girl and appealed to them to call their mother and stop the investigation. The victim’s lawyer denied the allegations, while the Sun stood by its report claiming it was voicing the story of ‘two very concerned parents who had complained to BBC about its presenter’s behaviour’.
July 11: Second victim emerges
BBC accepted that ‘lessons were to be learned’ from the investigation and that protocols in place would be assessed. Moreover, another young person told BBC that the ‘presenter’ (Mr. Edwards) contacted them on a dating app and asked to meet, threatening them, but never did. The second victim (a 23-year-old) also revealed that they were sent abusive messages when they hinted at going public. These allegations were also reported by the Sun.
July 12: Presenter is identified as Huw Edwards, police find no criminality
Police closed the investigation after deciding that there was no indication of a criminal offence. Meanwhile, Huw Edwards was revealed to be the accused BBC presenter, confirmed by his wife Vicky Flind. She also detailed Mr. Edwards’ mental ill-health, requesting the public to respect her family’s privacy.
While the police investigation ended, BBC continues to investigate the allegations. Fresh claims of inappropriate behaviour by Mr. Edwards towards junior staff are being probed. Two current staff members and one former employee claimed they were sent uncomfortable messages by Mr. Edwards. The Sun has handed over a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations to the BBC team and plans to publish no further allegations against Mr. Edwards.
The BBC’s top management including Director-general Time Davie, acting chair Elan Closs Stephens have been pulled up by the British House of Lords over the controversy, according to the Express. The Lords’ Communications and Digital Committee called the two chiefs for a meeting on July 18 pertaining to the allegations, BBC’s response and the broadcaster’s system to address such complaints.
BBC Vs Sun: War over news coverage
While BBC admitted mistakes in addressing the sex scandal, it attacked the Sun over its reportage. Firing off questions to the tabloid, the BBC demanded proof of the explicit photos sent to Mr. Edwards by the 17-year-old. The news house questioned why the Sun did not cover the girl’s denial in its reportage and why it did not name Mr. Edwards in its initial expose.
In response, the Sun demanded that BBC answer its allegations regarding the payments, the threatening and inappropriate messages sent to a teenager, and the BBC investigation prior to the Sun’s expose. It also highlighted the cracks in BBC’s complaint system, the unpublished allegations and the silence among BBC staff.
Supporting the BBC, two other news agencies, The Guardian and The Independent,questioned the Sun’s reportage, asking if its report alleges any crime and if the tabloid had proof to back its claims. The tabloid – owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch – has also been criticised for sensationalising a sensitive issue, not establishing criminality and not quoting the alleged victim, who has now rubbished the Sun’s report.
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