Page 18 | How is Huw Edwards different to Philip Schofield

user6482952 · 2023-07-13T07:57:28+00:00

Heard this question raised on LBC this morning and was wondering the same thing. How are the two any different? Both older men engaged with younger men, both cheating on their wives, and both claiming mental health issues post revelation.

Blossomtoes · 14/07/2023 15:13

Coulson isn’t a lawyer. His lawyers are Harbottle and Lewis.

JulieHoney · 14/07/2023 15:17

What exactly do you think he should be denying (through lawyers or otherwise), @Janiie ?

The inflated claims by The Sun that they're busy reverse-ferreting and the police say no case to answer? The fact someone he connected with on a gay dating site emailed him threatening to out him, and he responded with "expletives"? (who wouldn't?) Or allegations yet to be published aboutn any potential workplace impropriety?

Or merely that he's been a sleaze and betrayed his wife, which quite frankly is no one's business for theirs and their family?

I think he's been a right bastard to Ms Flind.

I also think this 'story' was nothing but Murdoch mud-slinging at the BBC.

PTSDBarbiegirl · 14/07/2023 15:30

EnfysPreseli · 13/07/2023 19:11

The suggestion by a PP that Huw Edwards "wouldn't have been allowed to present the news" in Wales in the 80s if he was gay is utterly bonkers! Particularly since there was a gay man on the news at that time, not that it was anybody's business. Of course there were reasons why it may be difficult to be out and there was homophohia as in the rest of the UK, but it wasn't the dark ages for goodness sake.

That's a naive view of the 80's and what it was like for gay men. Homophobia was rife in the UK, bullying, a backdrop of anti AIDS TV campaigns featuring falling tombstones for the implied predominantly gay sufferers. It was awful, add a dash of Christian piousness and there you have it. Have you seen, "it's a sin"?!

Bringonthepitchforks · 14/07/2023 15:43

Rhondaa · 14/07/2023 14:51

Yes I do.

The first thing to do when being accused of wrong doing is deny it, if it is infact untrue.

To waffle on about health and hospitals would seem a most definite and desperate ploy to garner sympathy and detract from the actual allegations.

Show quote history

The best thing, when you've done wrong, is to maintain a dignified silence and speak only to the parties who need to be involved in the matter.

It might not have occured to you but it may very well be that HE is in a bit of a life or death battle at the moment, and that probably takes priority over any impropriety he's been part of.

Riverlee · 14/07/2023 15:43

I was talking with a friend about being gay in the eighties. We both recall that being gay wasn’t usual or talked about like it is today. It was assumed that you would meet your partner, marry and have children.

Just looked ‘average coming out’ ages. One survey said that for over 60s, it was 37, for people in their 30s it was 21, and for 18-24 year olds it was 17. Also, many people didn’t come out until their parents had passed away.

EnfysPreseli · 14/07/2023 16:00

PTSDBarbiegirl · 14/07/2023 15:30

That's a naive view of the 80's and what it was like for gay men. Homophobia was rife in the UK, bullying, a backdrop of anti AIDS TV campaigns featuring falling tombstones for the implied predominantly gay sufferers. It was awful, add a dash of Christian piousness and there you have it. Have you seen, "it's a sin"?!

Show quote history

Not naive at all. I'm acknowledging that there was homophobia as in the rest of the UK. I'm old enough to have lived in Wales and in London in the 80s, so don't have to rely on TV dramas focusing specifically on the negative attitudes of the time for my understanding of social history. The image some people have of Wales as a very conservative cultural backwater just isn't accurate.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that the film Pride represented the views and attitudes of everyone in Wales at the time, but this is the era we're talking about - '84/'85 when HE was starting his broadcasting career.

SirVixofVixHall · 14/07/2023 16:50

I have a very similar history to you EnfysPreseli and I agree.

Axelotl · 14/07/2023 17:18

Riverlee · 14/07/2023 15:43

I was talking with a friend about being gay in the eighties. We both recall that being gay wasn’t usual or talked about like it is today. It was assumed that you would meet your partner, marry and have children.

Just looked ‘average coming out’ ages. One survey said that for over 60s, it was 37, for people in their 30s it was 21, and for 18-24 year olds it was 17. Also, many people didn’t come out until their parents had passed away.

This is true, I believe Alan Bennett didn't come out until after his mother passed away.

Rhondaa · 14/07/2023 17:23

Bringonthepitchforks · 14/07/2023 15:43

The best thing, when you've done wrong, is to maintain a dignified silence and speak only to the parties who need to be involved in the matter.

It might not have occured to you but it may very well be that HE is in a bit of a life or death battle at the moment, and that probably takes priority over any impropriety he's been part of.

Show quote history

Well he seemed fine until the allegations came out, presenting the News and attending award ceremonies.

In these circumstances most people do indeed declare no wrong doing publicly with assurances it's all been a misunderstanding and they will cooperate with inquiries. Bizarre that they didn't think to do so.

Bringonthepitchforks · 14/07/2023 17:46

Rhondaa · 14/07/2023 17:23

Well he seemed fine until the allegations came out, presenting the News and attending award ceremonies.

In these circumstances most people do indeed declare no wrong doing publicly with assurances it's all been a misunderstanding and they will cooperate with inquiries. Bizarre that they didn't think to do so.

Show quote history

How would your mental health stand up to the past 7 days?

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 14/07/2023 17:49

How would your mental health stand up to the past 7 days?

How do you think the mental health of some of the presenters named on SM as the man in question has stood up to the last 7 days?

Stickybackplasticbear · 14/07/2023 17:51

I'm not sure they are different tbh. I'm also not massively sure people feel they are really different.

Bringonthepitchforks · 14/07/2023 17:55

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 14/07/2023 17:49

How would your mental health stand up to the past 7 days?

How do you think the mental health of some of the presenters named on SM as the man in question has stood up to the last 7 days?

Well this is it isn't it. No one's mental health will be in a great state this week. The Sun has a lot to answer for

Oioicaptain · 14/07/2023 18:06

I think that there's more to come out yet about one of these individuals (from what I've heard).

Rhondaa · 14/07/2023 18:10

Bringonthepitchforks · 14/07/2023 17:46

How would your mental health stand up to the past 7 days?

Show quote history

I'd be very keen to meet with the BBC, to see all the allegations and to refute these allegations publicly. Very keen. Acting assertively and taking control is surely the best way forward here rather than some vague 'he'll answer questions at some point' by his poor wife.

DajeMama2 · 14/07/2023 18:13

Section 28 was only abolished in 2003. Up until then there is absolutely no way you would be able to be an out news presenter for fear of being accused of promoting homosexuality. Put that with the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and certainly there are many reasons a gay man would not come out.

Being forced to be in the closet is horrendous. What it does to your mental health is so damaging. Obviously this does not excuse illegal behaviour. But honestly, who cares if a man denied his sexuality as a younger bloke acts a bit smutty or is hiding secrets of his private life. Who knows what arrangement he and his wife had? Plenty of gay men his age would have married a woman, had kids, lived a straight-appearing life out of necessity/fear/shame. If this really is just a man paying for sexy photos on OnlyFans or even consensual sex - it's none of our business.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 14/07/2023 18:17

Acting assertively and taking control is surely the best way forward here rather than some vague 'he'll answer questions at some point' by his poor wife

The problem with that is that HE loses any control over the story by saying that. When's he going to be able to answer questions? weeks? months? and of course he's got the knowledge that everyone's waiting for that hanging over him all the time and meanwhile SM runs riot. Hard as it would have been I think he'd have been much better advised to hold his hands up at the start.

Perhaps he thought he was too big and too powerful for the BBC to do anything and he could ride it out.

Rhondaa · 14/07/2023 18:18

'But honestly, who cares if a man denied his sexuality as a younger bloke acts a bit smutty or is hiding secrets of his private life. Who knows what arrangement he and his wife had? Plenty of gay men his age would have married a woman, had kids, lived a straight-appearing life out of necessity/fear/shame. If this really is just a man paying for sexy photos on OnlyFans or even consensual sex - it's none of our business.'

He's 61. Allegedly pestering much younger people happily sharing his ID so clearly making the most of his BBC status wirh associated ridiculously high salary. Just because it isn't illegal does mean this predatory behaviour is ok. He works for the BBC, we pay his wages! so we are absolutely allowed an opinion thanks very much.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 14/07/2023 18:20

If this really is just a man paying for sexy photos on OnlyFans or even consensual sex - it's none of our business

There's a considerable imbalance of power here. The allegation is that the money was paid to a teenager who then used it to buy drugs. If they become dependent on that money for their addiction then they might feel that they can't back out and have to do as they're asked. And if they do want to back out, who's going to believe them against a big name at the BBC?

Idontpostmuch · 14/07/2023 19:02

DajeMama2 · 14/07/2023 18:13

Section 28 was only abolished in 2003. Up until then there is absolutely no way you would be able to be an out news presenter for fear of being accused of promoting homosexuality. Put that with the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and certainly there are many reasons a gay man would not come out.

Being forced to be in the closet is horrendous. What it does to your mental health is so damaging. Obviously this does not excuse illegal behaviour. But honestly, who cares if a man denied his sexuality as a younger bloke acts a bit smutty or is hiding secrets of his private life. Who knows what arrangement he and his wife had? Plenty of gay men his age would have married a woman, had kids, lived a straight-appearing life out of necessity/fear/shame. If this really is just a man paying for sexy photos on OnlyFans or even consensual sex - it's none of our business.

@DajeMama2 Are we certain the young person was male? Mumsnet seems split, but with most people assuming male rather than female. I've only seen the person described as 'young person'.

Idontpostmuch · 14/07/2023 19:15

@Alighttouchonthetiller Haha yes, you're right. It never ceases to amuse me the misapprehensions that some people are under regarding modern churches.

Bringonthepitchforks · 14/07/2023 19:31

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 14/07/2023 18:20

If this really is just a man paying for sexy photos on OnlyFans or even consensual sex - it's none of our business

There's a considerable imbalance of power here. The allegation is that the money was paid to a teenager who then used it to buy drugs. If they become dependent on that money for their addiction then they might feel that they can't back out and have to do as they're asked. And if they do want to back out, who's going to believe them against a big name at the BBC?

This.

And this is where due process needs following.

For me a number of things have come to light this week.

The Sun needs to investigate it's stories better before going to print
The BBC needs to sort its own house out still. Clearly it's complaints process isn't robust enough given the number of failings that have occurred from the initial point of contact through to The Sun printing their article. If the family weren't followed up, if HE wasn't informed until the story broke, if in-house whistleblowers weren't listened to...
HE has previous for being predatory at worst, inappropriate at best and yet has got away with it. There was even a joke made on 'In the Thick of it' alluding to rumours about him 18 years ago.
Social media is a cruel cruel circus and I'm surprised anyone wants to be a media personality anymore!
Mental health is very much still stigmatised against in this country.

DajeMama2 · 14/07/2023 20:31

I originally assumed it was a woman too.

But then the depths of the Internet seemed to say it was a man so that made more sense to me in terms of closeted behaviour and mental health.

But my stance is the same if it was a woman. Who cares what a man does to get his rocks off so long as it was consensual and she was of a legal age if it was literally OnlyFans purchases?

Rhondaa · 14/07/2023 21:15

'Who cares what a man does to get his rocks off so long as it was consensual and she was of a legal age if it was literally OnlyFans purchases?'

Well, many people care. Its about the ages of those he allegedly pursued you see. If indeed it is true that a 60yr old man has been 'getting his rocks off' with men or women in their late teens and twenties then that is very wrong.

If he wants to work at tescos and get his rocks off perving then fine, but when he's a BBC presenter earning 450k of tax payers money then certain standards and expectations come with that.

Blossomtoes · 14/07/2023 22:07

If he wants to work at tescos and get his rocks off perving then fine

Wtaf? Seriously? It’s OK for people with shit jobs to “perve”?