Huw Edwards has been named as the suspended BBC presenter

LONDON — The presenter at the heart of one of the BBC’s biggest crisis in years has been identified as Huw Edwards, a TV broadcaster whose distinctive Welsh lilt has been the voice of some of Britain’s most historic moments and who is now facing allegations that he paid for sexually explicit images from a teenager.

According to a statement released Wednesday on his behalf by his wife, Vicky Flind, the BBC news anchor is “suffering from serious mental health issues” and “is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.”

The brief statement did not address in any detail the allegations made against Edwards over the past five days. “Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published,” his wife said.

She asked for the media to respect the family’s privacy — and added that Edwards “was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.”

Edwards is a celebrity news reader and more recognizable on the street than a star footballer. Famous for his measured delivery — old school, even a bit dull, a critic might say — but a voice that is as comforting as a cup of tea. Like the documentarian David Attenborough, Edwards was seen as a kind of national treasure for the national broadcaster, a jewel in the BBC crown.

When the royal family was gathering at the bedside of Queen Elizabeth II, the BBC was determined that it be Edwards who should narrate the announcement of her death. He wasn’t on duty that day, but was tracked down at a barbershop and told to get ready to go on air in his black suit and tie.

Edwards, 61, is now on the other side of a major news story.

Scotland Yard’s Specialist Crime Command said Wednesday that it had concluded an assessment and found no evidence of a crime committed by Edwards.

n Britain, it’s illegal to make or possess sexualized images of anyone under 18.

Following the police statement, the BBC said it would continue its own in-house investigation into the matter.

The case has dominated the U.K. media-sphere for days with a feverish drip, drip, drip of reporting on its various twists and turns. The BBC news has been live-blogging its own scandal.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weighed in over the weekend — at a point when his spokesman said the British leader did not know the name of the accused — describing the allegations as “shocking" and “concerning.”

Edwards is one of the public network’s highest paid stars. He has been a fixture on British television for decades, a throwback to an earlier age when a trusted voice — a British version of Walter Cronkite — was the calm in the middle of the news storms. (cont.)

(cont.) It was Edwards who got President Obama’s only U.K. interview in the spring before the Brexit vote. It was Edwards who anchored the royal weddings, the coverage of the queen’s funeral in September and the coronation of King Charles III in May.

And each evening at 10 p.m. — from 2003 until he quietly disappeared this month — he was the silver-haired presence with gravitas in the chair for the BBC’s flagship nightly news program.

The scandal first broke on Friday when the Sun tabloid reported a mother’s accusations that a male BBC presenter — who was initially not identified, but described variously as a “star” and “household name” — sent her child a total of 35,000 pounds ($45,000) for sexual images since 2020, when the young person was 17. The mother blamed the man and the BBC for funding her child’s use of crack cocaine.

The BBC said in a statement on Sunday that it “first became aware of a complaint in May,” but that “new allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature.”

On Monday, a lawyer representing the young person issued a denial statement, saying “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish.”

The mother and stepfather stood by their earlier accounts.

On Tuesday, two other young people came forward with complaints about the presenter. One, in their early 20s, told BBC News that the broadcaster had sent them “abusive, expletive-filled messages.” The Sun also reported that a third person, aged 23, claimed the presenter broke lockdown rules to meet them during the covid pandemic.

The fresh claims led to other presenters urging Edwards to come forward — to end all the wild speculation about which BBC figure was behind the scandal.

“These new allegations will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues of his. And the BBC, which I’m sure he loves, is on its knees with this,” BBC radio host Jeremy Vine tweeted.

Gone are the days when British newspapers would gleefully name those accused of allegations, without fretting too much about privacy and defamation laws.

The BBC corporation withheld his name, citing privacy protections. Nor did the police when they began to look into the case. In Britain, police often do not name a suspect until they are detained or charged with a crime.

Edwards has previously spoken about his bouts with depression and said that exercise, in particular boxing, helped with his physical and mental well-being. He documented his fitness and weight loss journey on Instagram — on an account that has since been deleted.

“I couldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t want to go to work. I didn’t want to speak to anybody,” he told the Daily Telegraph of his struggles with depression, which he said started in 2002. “And of course, the issue was you have to maintain a public image, that is — you’re a well-known face. Whenever I had to go live on air, I would literally have to tell myself — come on now, you’ll be OK now. You just have to do it, and I just had to push myself in a way.”

It was arguably his report of the late queen’s death that brought him most acclaim. Nearly 10 million people tuned in at 6.30 p.m. when Edwards said that the queen had passed away “peacefully” in Balmoral, Scotland. It was a line he had practiced many times before, reportedly in the bathroom mirror.

Speaking to the Radio Times about that moment, he said: “I was sad … It was the end of an era in British history, the end of a presence that has been with many people throughout their entire lives.”

His epochal announcement on the air of Elizabeth II's death.

As the story above says, the BBC had to track him down on the street to find him to deliver the news, since they consider him by far their most trusted and beloved news presenter. He is to the BBC what Walter Cronkite was to CBS and David Brinkley was to NBC in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Part two of extensive thread already in progress.

Jesus Christ, ceaseless drama with these fucking Brits.

Can you imagine Mum's reaction when she discovered the indentity?

What is he accused of? Paying some girls for nudies?

Boys, R7. All that and more in the thread at R4.

I should be clear that I'm using "boys" because you used "girls", by the way.

R8 how do we know the vic was male?

At least he didn't fuck our dog.

£35k for some nudes? Fuck, I would have done it for a fraction and even shown hole!

I have no idea how to pronounce his first name. I’m in the US.

R13 Hugh - or queue.

How about I say Ewwwwww?

I would have sucked him off for much less than that. Maybe he got turned on by being financially exploited?

Why do these old creeps always go after teenagers? So gross and embarrassing.

He's 61? I thought that guy was in his mid seventies at least.

I feel awful for him.

More clicks for Bezos. Great.

[quote] I have no idea how to pronounce his first name. I’m in the US.

Just like "Hugh."

r20, [bold]FUCK OFF.[bold]

I do not say that lightly.

"More clicks for _____. Great." is a DL tradition. Stop trying to impose your rules on us, R22.

I feel sorry for him. Has he even done anything illegal? It’s been something of a witch-hunt while politicians such as Boris Johnson get away with murder (quite literally sometimes).

R20 I second that, fuck off

R23 no it is not a tradition, it didn't start happening until a few weeks ago here and it's fucking annoying and stupid.

We know the kid was male because they are being so careful not to say so.

This thread is useless without pictures.

R26 Not necessarily. I think they're keeping it vague because it's how the UK handles protecting the anonymity of the victim.

^ or "victim."

[quote]I feel sorry for him. Has he even done anything illegal? It’s been something of a witch-hunt while politicians such as Boris Johnson get away with murder (quite literally sometimes).

LOLOLOL

Boris Johnson resigned a year ago as a result of a story printed by The Sun

[quote] One, in their early 20s, told BBC News that the broadcaster had sent them “abusive, expletive-filled messages.”

This is what I don't get. So he sees these hot young things and wants to look at their pictures, meet up, fuck - but I keep reading that he's nasty-tempered with them. Why?? Makes me think he's a sociopath who gets off on using and abusing people.

R31 A little background on that: "When the young person hinted online they might name the presenter, they were sent abusive, expletive-filled messages." It wasn't just a random venomous spree. These cherubic "young people" are hardly saints in this story.

Was it a guy???

The original Sun article mentioned a young man, I believe.

They’re saying that it was someone on Onlyfans. People are saying that he was falsely accused. I don’t know. We’re in a new era of Puritanism and Red Scare.

Douglas Murray called out the ITV4 crap that went on for weeks in Britain with people fuming who didn’t even know what they were fuming about. Douglas points out that people are distracting themselves, getting upset over stupid things because they feel that they can’t change the important things. It’s so frau-centric.

R35

One of the screenshots from the poor hothouse flowers was of a notification on his homescreen, i.e. the screenshot was taken right when the message from Huw Edwards was received and not at a later date (when things went south, for example). These men were collecting "receipts" and so on from the beginning. Hardly the behaviour of doe-eyed innocents.

Receipts are stupid, right?

35k is not "paying for pictures". It's being blackmailed.

News companies pay for pictures too. It's all good.

Huw is that? I don’t know huw that is.

[quote] Has he even done anything illegal?

No R24. This story has got a lot of extra mileage because it was a boy (legal age) who was involved.

Except the child porn. That bit’s illegal.

Also broke COVID laws.

Except for COVID and child porn, he’s good.

Huw’s the boss?

Guess he's not taking it well.....

[quote]I have no idea how to pronounce his first name. I’m in the US.

I asked the same thing on the earlier thread and none of the cunty Brits would answer. Still bitter about it!

[quote]This thread is useless without pictures.

"Buckingham Palace announced.....excuse me, I'll be right back -- SNAP -- the death of her Majesty the Queen"

Stop posting blatant lies and misinformation R43.

After investigating and interviewing the boy and his family - British Police have repeatedly confirmed that Edwards has done nothing illegal under British law and that the boy was of legal age. The age of consent in the UK is 16 and the boy was 17 when the events initially began to take place. There was absolutely no "child porn" involved at any stage as confirmed by British Police and this keeps being announced by the British authorities.

But you keep on trolling. Bet you'd love to see Edwards commit suicide wouldn't you. The thought of it makes you drool doesn't it...

R49 Are you sure it's a boy? I haven't seen any reports indicating the gender of the teen (except on DL). The article you posted does use the term "youth" (which tends to be used more often for males), but I haven't read anything that specified that it was a boy.

I’m sure he’s SO embarrassed to be exposed as a poof, but mental illness? Please

He's spoken about his severe depression long before this story broke.

The teenager is a boy R50.

Shame! Shame! Shame! - All DLers and Fraus projecting their own shame

Maybe there was no crime, maybe these “victims” are worse than the perp, maybe Jane Q Public is a prude, BUT Huw reacting mainly by being “very angry” is a dick move in my opinion. Even if he feels that way, he should think about the PR. I think he should express his surprise and concern than his payment for sex/pics/etc may have been used by this poor young person to enable his drug addiction. Another approach which might inspire sympathy would be the Tiger Woods defense: "I’m so sorry but I suffer from a ‘sex addiction’ and I’ve talked to my therapists and tried to work on it, but it just hounds me so…"

Instead, he’s "very angry" that these people are tattling on him about him being a big old disgusting lecher? To many people, it’s quite off-putting, even if not a crime, but he doesn’t seem to be willing to admit he’s a creep. And then there’s the covid part, which is ‘I’m holier than thou’ so how dare you call me out on anything? And as Jeremy Vine said, doesn’t he feel bad about the other presenters being accused because he stayed quiet? Doesn’t he feel bad about damaging the BBC’s reputation?

[quote]Maybe there was no crime,

The British Police have repeatedly announced there was no crime and no British laws broken because everyone involved were legal aged adults R55.

Why was he sendings pics of his ass? Is he insane?

A teenager doesn’t want to see that.

If the pics leak, the incredible shame and humiliation will NEVER go away.

R56 - so this is a great guy and nobody should complain about him? You know the source that I'm not supposed to link.

"A current employee said they were left with a 'cold shudder' after receiving messages about their appearance, while an ex-staff member claimed 'late night' texts which included 'kisses' constituted an 'abuse of power' by the newsreader.

Junior staff members told the BBC tonight that the presenter, 61, had sent 'inappropriate messages' to them..."

R43 Stop posting lies. Go away and educate yourself you brainless idiot.

R58 - could you please point out where I said "so this is a great guy and nobody should complain about him" in my posts? Thanks.

In response to your misinformation posts at R43 and R55 - I specifically posted that the British Police and British authorities have repeatedly stated there was no crime committed by Edwards. No laws were broken and there was no child porn involved because all parties were of legal adult age of consent at the time the incident began.

I did not comment on anything else.

[quote]Why was he sendings pics of his ass? Is he insane? A teenager doesn’t want to see that.

Maybe H.E. was more interested in the attention he got from young men than in the young men themselves. That would explain why he allegedly spent £200 for nothing more than tea and a chat with one of them. It’s a bit sad, really.

Pathetic old queen. And taking the wife and children along for the ride. Cowardly and embarrassing. I don’t totally feel sorry for the wife though- standing by this wrinkly prevent as well as likely wilful ignorance to continue cashing in on that fat check. Just a mess all round.

He looks like Derek Jacobi did in the 90s.

[quote]I don’t totally feel sorry for the wife though- standing by this wrinkly prevent as well as likely wilful ignorance to continue cashing in on that fat check.

At least she hasn’t claimed that the charges against him are bogus or that when he’s recovered from his breakdown he’ll fight to clear his name. I give her credit for not trying to spin a defense other than that her husband is suffering from mental problems that may have contributed to his bad decisions.

It’s sad that he just didn’t hire a rent boy for the night like a normal person. Talking to teenagers online and sending them money seems reckless and self-sabotage.

The age of consent in the UK is 16, but it is illegal to buy sexual images from anyone under 18, even if they consent. Since the police have declared that no laws were broken, the person(s) he bought the images from must have been at least 18 at the time.

It’s a grubby and unpleasant story and he and his family must be mortified, but it is part of a bigger story which is that the Murdoch media empire in the UK has been campaigning to damage the BBC for decades in the hope of supplanting it. The Sun was never going to turn down a chance to assassinate the character of the BBC’s most trusted news presenter, regardless of whether the story was true.

I imagine the editors are rubbing their hands in glee, and anticipating their next possible scoop: Edwards has been open for years about his mental health battle and suicidal urges.

[quote]The age of consent in the UK is 16, but it is illegal to buy sexual images from anyone under 18, even if they consent. Since the police have declared that no laws were broken, the person(s) he bought the images from must have been at least 18 at the time.

The British Police and British authorities have repeatedly stated there was no crime committed by Edwards. No laws were broken and there was no child porn involved because all parties were of legal adult age of consent at the time the incident began R66. How many more times are you going to post this misinformation?

Fuck the Sun, and fuck the nasty people who buy, read, and link it.

[quote] How many more times are you going to post this misinformation?

R67, my post at r66 is the first one I made on this thread, and I suggest you try to read it again, with your eyes open and brain engaged, because it contains no misinformation at all. I accurately explained the law and the reason why Edwards has been deemed not to have committed an illegal act.

I posted because someone upthread insinuated that the “young person” was 17 when they provided pictures, and I wanted to show that the police investigation outcome disproves that. - The “young person” was at least 18.

Yes R68. Seems they have been lying as usual and got caught out in a big way. Of course The Sun newspaper is wholly owned by Murdoch's News Corp and we all know what that means.

And don't forget that ginger terror spouse a user Rebekah Brooks.

He seems like a creepy old man, with terrible judgement. No sympathy.

R43 is a woman. Possibly even a visitor from Tattle, where one of yesterday's most-liked posts exhorted everyone to remember that Edwards had paid for "child porn".

[quote] Except the child porn.

What child porn?

There is no child porn. If there was, the police wouldn't have ended their investigation. This is simply a closeted man doing crazy shit closeted men do. What's dangerous is that sheeple think that what closeted men do is what all gay men do.

R57 How do you know that a teenager doesn’t want to see an older man’s backside? Plenty of young guys are into older and vice versa.

This is the same level of scandal event that happened to Dan Rather. Career ending.

Edwards is the main face of the BBC and is well-liked and respected. He has always been squeaky clean. He's a devout Christian and the VP of the National Churches Trust. He's been with the BBC since 1984.

He's an absolute bellend. I can't think of many more stupid choices to make. Terrible judgement as R72 says.

I hope he's on suicide watch because that's a high possibility.

Linky in wrong box.

[quote]He's a devout Christian

That's a turnoff. That makes him sound like an American right-winger.

How was Dan Ratner scandalous on this stage, r77? Was Rather on suicide watch after he was maliciously maligned?

R78 I think it’s likely that he had attempted suicide, or seen as a very high risk, hence his admission to a mental health facility.

I know that this was their own doing and that they were stupid, but the level of attention that Huw and Schofield are experiencing must be horrendous. Schofield was at high risk of suicide for sure, that’s why his daughters wouldn’t leave his side. And of course we know what happened with Caroline Flack.

So the Sun has 2 recent prominent scalps: Boris Johnson and Huw Edwards.

Who's next?

Yes r76 just keep telling yourself that, gramps — teens crave your wrinkly, sagging bottom!

Looks like this is the year of bisexual British nonces.

R83 I don’t support Huw or anyone chatting up teenagers but I definitely wouldn’t have turned down an ass pic from him at that age 😳

Deadline

A sad waste of a well hung daddy.

R83 You keep on living in you own tiny little world, were everything revolves around you and what you like.

I'm 29 and would definitely have swiped right on Huw.

I’m Charmin and would definitely have swiped right in Huw.

[quote] “If you know this stuff about a colleague, why isn’t your first duty to then go to HR or a senior manager … rather than turning it into a news story [as Victoria Derbyshire was doing],” Emily Maitlis said.

Cat fight!!

Emily Maitlis, a journalist who is having a film made about her role in a scandal involving a high profile man who liked the company of teenagers, is criticising a journalist who has been looking into accusations against a high profile man who likes the company of teenagers.

Taking nudes with your face in them is bold. Huw was ready for that twink cock.

I am Huw.

Stop saying that!

And to think all the pearl clutchers were adamant the trousers round ankles pic was not just a photoshop but a BAD photoshop

Does Huw know Ian (Een)?

Well who could believe he could take such a shitty picture, r95? Also, this suggests that he's bi-leaning straight.

No gay taking a picture for that purpose would fail to capture at least a glimpse of hole.

Speaking of hole,.looks like old Huw loves up to the straight -married-insatiable-bottom stereotype.

Isn’t “Huw” how a toddler might spell the name “Hugh”? Just a random thought. As you were.

It’s a perfectly respectable Welsh spelling.

I anxiously await the cock shots.

I had a raging case of gerontophilia from about 16 to 30 (it’s interesting how some kinks gradually fade) and would have quite happily launched myself at Huw Edwards from a height. It’s not entirely gone, even today, and I sometimes find myself having fantasies about Matt Frei, even with the tubbiness.

[quote] Isn’t “Huw” how a toddler might spell the name “Hugh”? Just a random thought.

But a stupid one.

Why would someone Welsh spell his name the English/French way?

"I anxiously await the cock shots."

Wait forever. A bottom never shows his clit.

Private Eye has some good info. Basically, The Sun was talking bullshit, fabricating crap and straight up lying.

Huw first met the young man when the latter was 18. He did apparently give the young man over £30,000 but there's nothing about it being used for drugs. More at link.

[quote]The Eye has seen details of the complaint made by the stepfather of the young man at the centre of the initial story when he presented himself at the front desk of the BBC's office in Cardiff on 18 May. It specified that Edwards had first met him when he was 18 and there was no mention of photographs being exchanged, or any contact at all, prior to this age.

[quote]The stepfather also said the family had already contacted South Wales Police to report what was going on, but that the force had already told them nothing illegal appeared to have occurred. Although an amount of more than £30,000 exchanging hands was mentioned, there was no mention of it being used to buy drugs.

[quote]By the time the family's account appeared on the front page of the Sun on 8 July, however, it had become "giving the teen more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images", and, inside, the even more loaded phrase "paid her crack-addicted child for sexual images".

[quote]Despite quoting former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal on 9 July pointing out this was a potential criminal offence, and saying "the police should have been engaged... that should have been done weeks ago", running the headline "AT LAST BBC CALLS IN THE COPS" on 10 July, and carrying full details of the Protection of Children Act on 11 July, it was not until 12 July that the paper managed to admit, seven paragraphs into the sixth page of that day's coverage, that "separately it was confirmed that that the parents of the youngster struggling with drug issues first contacted a separate police force in April".

[quote]The Sun cited "Sky News reports" for this information – but in the lengthy self-justification that senior reporter Scarlet Howes penned two days later, after Edwards' identity had been confirmed and his hospitalisation with mental health problems revealed, she admitted the parents had told her "a fortnight ago" that they "went to their local police" and it was only when "they told them in April there was nothing they could do, they then turned to report it to the BBC".

It would be extraordinary if Huw Edwards returns to his job, but it’s not out of the question. There’s still a great deal of sympathy for him and the Sun’s hypocrisy is widely despised.

He’s a very good broadcaster and still has supporters inside and outside the BBC. If his name is cleared, he should make a point of returning to work, even if just for a short time! Just to highlight that he has not been sacked and has not committed any offence.

Reading the Private Eye story, The Sun misreported what the parents told the BBC when they complained about Edwards.

They complained about a 61 year old man giving their 20 year old son £30k since he was 18. They didn’t complain about a 61 year old man giving their 20 year old drug addicted son £30k since he was 18 for sex pics, some of which might have been taken when he was 17.

The BBC ‘not acting on a complaint’ opened the door to the sordid allegations of teenagers, cash and webcam sex.

R107, the young man is legally an adult. Why on earth would the BBC "act on a complaint" made by a third party about legal behaviour between two consenting adults? The young man himself has made it clear that he has no complaint to make against Huw Edwards.

R108, have you ever heard of Tim Westwood?

Wondering if this is a bit of homophobic propaganda. All these assholes seems to see how much they can get away with these days.

R109, have you heard of the fact that not even the parents of this adult alleged any assault, that two police forces found no evidence of any illegal activities, and that the young man himself called the allegations rubbish?

Huw Edwards is set to leave his role as the face of BBC News following an internal inquiry into his conduct, BBC insiders have told i.

The News at Ten and Election night presenter has been suspended since July, after being accused of paying for explicit images.

A BBC “fact-finding” investigation examined the allegations, as well as claims reported on Newsnight that Edwards sent inappropriate messages to BBC staff.

The results of the investigation have been shown to Edwards, 62, who is in discussion over his future with BBC managers, i has learnt.

The exact findings are still unclear and Edwards insists he has never done anything illegal.

Justice for Huw's huge cock!

And for his bulbous buttocks! Who can forget?

Huw Edwards resigned from the BBC on the advice of his doctors.

More on Huw and his bizarre "relationship" with a 41 year old woman in Tunbridge Wells.

This doesn't sound good at all

[quote]The presenter, 62, was told of the woman’s 2021 complaint “within hours” by one of his managers at the BBC. The woman retracted her complaint after she was contacted by Edwards. His lawyers said he was unable to comment on these “unsubstantiated” allegations.

I can't figure out what's going on between Huw and that woman. Threats of some kind?

She probably sent him stupid DMs and he responded.