POWER- DOWNFALL OF HUW EDWARDS - tue 9pm ch5

[Blondeshavemorefun]

Martin Clunes as Huw Edwards in its highly anticipated new drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards.

a feature length factual drama

The Doc Martin and Manhunt star plays the former BBC News presenter in the feature-length factual drama, which premieres on Tuesday 24 March at 9pm on Channel 5

The series explores "the story of how a vulnerable 17-year-old was groomed by one of the most powerful figures in television", according to the synopsis, which continues: "The series explores the newsreader’s double life as it spirals out of control, leading him to make the greatest announcement of his career – his total exit from public life following his conviction for serious child sexual offences."

In September 2022, Edwards was one of Britain's most trusted newsreaders, chosen to deliver the historic announcement that Queen Elizabeth II had died.

A year later, his online activity was exposed.

Below are the facts - mainly public known but if don’t want to know till watch the programme then stop reading

In 2023, The Sun published allegations that a BBC presenter had paid a young person (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a44480790/bbc-responds-presenter-accused-paying-teenager-explicit-photos/) for sexually explicit photos, with the BBC suspending this male presenter in response (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a44484380/bbc-presenter-suspended-explicit-photos-teenager/). The presenter was then confirmed to be Edwards by his wife Vicky Flind (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a44520185/huw-edwards-named-bbc-suspended-presenter/), which prompted a police investigation.

Edwards received three charges of making indecent images of children (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a61727897/bbc-huw-edwards-charged-indecent-images/) between December 2020 and April 2022.

He pleaded guilty (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a61748562/huw-edwards-pleads-guilty-indecent-child-images/) at Westminster Magistrates Court, and was given a suspended sentence (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a62221949/huw-edwards-sentence-indecent-child-images/).

The programme also documents how Edwards struck up a separate online friendship with a man called Alex Williams, who between 2020 and 2021 sent him messages containing child abuse imagery that he accessed.

It led to Edwards’s conviction in 2024 for accessing indecent images of children as young as seven, for which he was given a six-month suspended prison sentence.

The court heard that Edwards had been involved in online chat with an adult man on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children. The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.

The man told Edwards that the boy was quite young-looking and that he had more images which were illegal. Mr Edwards told him not to send any illegal images, the court was told. No more were sent, and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.

"It is only the images that are the subject of the charges that came via a WhatsApp chat. Mr Edwards did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else."

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards (https://www.theguardian.com/media/huw-edwards)includes an onscreen message from the alleged victim at the end of the programme in which says he hopes his story will help others who feel powerless.

Given the name “Ryan Davies” to protect his identity, he worked with producers on the scripts and says in his message: “I chose to tell my story now for the first time so that no one who has been silenced feels they are alone.

Your truth matters and it deserves to be heard.”
Now aged 23, Ryan adds: “After years of struggle, I have finally overcome my battle with drugs.

I refuse to let Huw Edwards or what he did define who I am or the life I will yet lead.”

Ryan is played by Osian Morgan , most recently seen in under salt marsh as Alfie

Yes it’s ‘dramatised’ as it’s not a documentary with the actual people. But it’s a programme based on facts. It states that, clearly. They couldn’t make stuff up about what HE has done. The videos / photos etc - all seen by the police. It’s those that lead to his eventual arrest.

He’s was literally dealing with another paedophile - the one who sourced videos and photos of children, all as well as the boy he groomed.

I’m not sure. I think it depends on how open you are already about having discussions about porn and grooming etc. There are quite young fourteen year olds and quite mature ones ifyswim.

The documentary is not particularly sexually graphic in terms of what they filmed although there is a scene where HE is masturbating over images but you can hear more than you can see. And there are many scenes where his young victim is taking his top off in front of the camera for obvious reasons which aren’t depicted. Some of the texts are quite explicit too.

I think a sixteen year old would be ok watching it but a fourteen year old might need to watch it in the context of a discussion such as their age group would have in a school lesson, precisely because the content, although sickening, was treated quite subtlety, I think I would want a fourteen year old of mine to be guided through it quite carefully, to try and check that they were understanding it and what interpretations they were putting on it, and to make sure they fully understood the emotional impact on the young man who was groomed, or I would wait a year or so. But I am a bit old fashioned maybe so would be interested in other people’s opinions. What age limit did Channel 5 put on it?

I was pointing out that it was also produced for entertainment.

Well I suppose it depends on people’s interpretation of “entertainment”.

Sometimes a dramatisation such as in the documentaries about the Brexit referendum and the Post Office scandal can strangely offer a more comprehensible and direct summation of events, and their effects, rather than a collection of news reports and articles.

What I found most shocking is the extent of risk HE was putting himself in - messaging strangers, relying on their assurances they would delete messages etc. He must have been aware that any one of the many young men he did this with over time could have been a “fake sheik” type trap? Or did he really think he was untouchable? Really shocking.

Started this earlier. Perving over a 17 but quilt what did Ryan get out of it with a much older man

@VanillaImpulse I agree. How could mum just allow her partner to treat Ryan like that ?

yet when Hiw said on the video - earn your keep and know your fucking place

sounded just like his step father - so maybe Ryan was trying to get love off huw as wasn’t getting any at home 😢

its a hard story to watch - was a little long but i do struggle with 2hr brings unless really gripping and prefer 2 x hr over 2 nights

but I do think it was a good cast and tho I will always think of man behaving badly but Martin clunes had Huw down to a T

still don’t know how the judge said 6mths suspended

and yes @butterpuffed was obv not his first time

@Triskellion75 agree was well done

I did think more may have watched - tho as I said I was erm and err tho was at work last night so couldn’t see it / so maybe lots felt me like an not sure if wanted to watch but im glad I did

and least I could ff the ads

I hoped others would have come forward and maybe they will now this has been broadcasted

@Allisgoodtoday agree a lot of grooming is about and glad ch5 showed this

@thesnowleopard i didn’t know about the rape - mini blondes is 8 🙀🙀🙀😢😢😢😡😡😡

I cannot understand why HE only got a suspended 6 month sentence. Until now I thought he did sometime in prison.
Also Was it the case that what he did with Ryan was not actually illegal as he was over the age of consent or did they simply not have enough evidence to prove anything?

i just looked it up and the bloke who sent the images to Huw only got a suspended sentence too albeit for a year

Maybe watch half /hour then next night the other hour

@TwattyMcFuckFace I read that at the beginning - not sure why they had to dramatise texts etc

makes it sound like they have over exaggerated his behaviour - which they haven’t
what huw dd got away with his horrific.

and worse , like with PS - they blame mental health ffs 😡😡😡

No crime with “Ryan” as he was over the age of consent and no evidence of lack of consent. The mother was obviously angry at the drug addiction consequence but her wish for “justice” was deluded

Well, to be fair, they could make stuff up, and almost certainly have. They know he's not going to sue.

I wonder if he didn't have some sort of innate dealh wish, or at least self-destruction wish. He must have known this was going to come out, he really didn't take any sensible precautions to prevent it.

I saw the warnings before the show started and didn't think it was suitable.
I saw the first half when she was in bed and I'm glad she didn't watch it.

Vile man 😔

Yes I mean using his own name was obviously reckless and ridiculous. Of course he was going to be found out.

"too dark and depressing" what were you expecting, Lala land?

Don’t bother - 9?!? adverts in every break?! May as just sit down to watch a load of ads! There’s a reason I never watch this channel and certainly won’t bother again. Gave up at first quarter

Unfortunately I think the reason for this was very sordid and I think it was arrogance but also part of the thrill for him. A bit like Wayne Couzens exposing himself while in McDonalds drive through while serving in the Met and presumably running the risk of his car being identified? Also these people are unpleasant bullies and people are afraid to cross them, And the power imbalance between themselves and their victims is significant.

Edited to say: obviously Couzens is a murderer and the crimes he committted are in a different category to HE but sexual crimes ultimately are about control,

Record it and watch 30mins later and can ff thro add

I found it a very hard watch.

I am going to take a different view here. Lots saying it was a hard watch but all over the UK people are taking advantage of others. Whether that be for sexual favours or ripping off an old person and trying to scam them.

I found the young man unlikeable. His friends even worse. His Mum and step father were also in my view looking for revenge and of course money.

What I really dont understand is how blatent Edwards was. He just didnt seem to care if he was caught and I feel desperately sorry for his wife and children.

He was literally a National Treasure and his downfall quite rightly quick once this story broke.