Huw Edwards hits out at Channel 5 drama as he makes vow in fresh statement

Huw Edwards has issued a fresh statement following the release of Channel 5's new series, which is based on the alleged victim of the former BBC newsreader.

Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards was released last week, with Martin Clunes taking on the role of the disgraced journalist, who resigned from the media organisation in 2024 on 'medical advice'.

It was first reported by The Sun in 2023 that he paid a young person for sexually explicit images, and after a 40-year career in broadcasting, he was taken off air not long after.

The new drama from Channel 5 has shined a light on Edwards' status as a sex offender, with the 64-year-old receiving a six-month sentence for his actions, although many have been left sickened by how he is portrayed by Clunes.

After dismissing the drama ahead of its release, the former broadcaster has now issued another furious statement, suggesting that more questions still need to be answered following Channel 5's 'one-sided account'.

He said: "Much has been written and reported in the past week following Channel 5’s one-sided account.

"Other opportunities will arise later this year for me to state my case and to challenge the misleading or fabricated claims made in recent coverage.

"A number of serious questions still remain to be answered, and not just by me. It will now take some time for me to produce my own account, and until then I do not intend to comment any further."

Edwards was a news anchor at the BBC for many years (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Edwards had previously suggested that he hadn't been approached by the media organisation before the show was released, while also claiming that it violated the Ofcom broadcasting code.

However, Channel 5 has previously stated: "Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards is based on extensive interviews with the victim, his family, the journalists who revealed his story, text exchanges between the victim and Edwards, and court reporting.

"It has been produced in accordance with Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. All allegations made in the film were put to Huw Edwards via his solicitors six weeks before transmission."

The Welshman has long spoken about his mental health issues and suggested that he was taking his time to produce his own version of events because of the 'fragile state' of his health.

Clunes has been widely praised for his performance (Channel 5)

He said: "I have been open about my struggle with persistent mental illness over a period of 25 years. What is less well known is the severity of that condition, which was managed successfully until the downward spiral which led to an appalling outcome."

"Mental illness is misunderstood by many, but can never be an excuse for criminality.

"It can, however, at least help explain why people sometimes behave in shocking and reprehensible ways, and why things fell apart for me in the way they did."