FURIOUS viewers are demanding to know how Huw Edwards dodged jail after a shocking TV drama detailed his crimes.
Almost two million watched Martin Clunes in Channel 5’s Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards — telling how The Sun was instrumental in revealing the BBC anchor’s sick double life.
One said: “First time in ages I flicked on terrestrial telly — and wow, it laid bare exactly what a monster he was.”
Another summed up public anger by adding: “He should be watching this behind bars.”
They also praised Bafta-winning star Clunes, describing his performance as “compelling” and “career-defining”.
The 90-minute programme, watched on Tuesday evening by 1.8million people, showed how The Sun was instrumental in unmasking Edwards over his twisted double life.
He groomed a teenager, paying him for sexual photos and videos, before eventually being handed only a six-month suspended jail sentence after admitting possessing indecent images of children.
One viewer wrote on X: “I don’t get why Huw isn’t in prison.
“He needs to pay for what he’s done. It’s fact.”
Another said: “Watching Power. Martin Clunes is excellent but it’s very uncomfortable viewing. How did Huw Edwards escape prison?”
Mum Katie Jones said: “I watched simply because I wanted to understand why NO jail time for EDWARDS. Was it cos he claimed to be suffering from a mental breakdown? It’s a must watch — difficult subject told well.”
A shocked viewer agreed: “He should have been jailed. He’s a paedophile. He’s not sorry.”
The Sun exposed Edwards, 64, three years ago when we revealed he had been paying a troubled teenager thousands of pounds, which the lad spent on drugs.
The youngster was played by Emmerdale actor Osian Morgan.
Edwards was charged after the arrest of another paedophile, Alex Williams, who had sent him 377 images via WhatsApp.
They included 41 indecent images of children, some showing a victim aged between seven and nine.
It later emerged it was Williams who first lured the teenager in our original story into Edwards’ web.
CRITICS FULL OF PRAISE
REVIEWERS were united in their praise for the Huw Edwards drama.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Christopher Stevens gave it five stars out of five, calling it “unflinching” and saying the show “leaves us in no doubt about the depths of his evil”.
And The Daily Telegraph’s Anita Singh said: “It gives a voice to the family that first blew the whistle on Edwards.
“And the depiction of him is so sinister, so unforgiving, it should ensure he never works again.”
Meanwhile Carol Midgley, in The Times, praised Clunes’ “skilful and convincing” portrayal of Edwards.
Even in The Guardian, Stuart Heritage concluded: “In his statement, Edwards promised to tell his side of the story.
“It is a testament to Power that, if this day ever arrives, few will have the stomach to hear it.”
Edwards’ sentence had already drawn strong criticism from child protection charities.
Emma Hardy, of the Internet Watch Foundation, said: “We must never forget children are at the heart of this story — children who have suffered, and who suffer again each time imagery of them at their most vulnerable is reshared.
“Perhaps most worryingly, there is nothing to stop this happening again. WhatsApp, and other apps which use the extreme end-to-end form of encryption, are still failing to prevent the upload of known child sexual abuse imagery.
“While some platforms are now choosing not to use this kind of encryption because of safety fears, there remain whole swathes of the internet where this dangerous and illegal content can still be shared undetected and unopposed.
“The tools to help stop the next Huw Edwards are here, they work, and they do not impact on individuals’ privacy. It’s time to use them.”
Ahead of the screening, Edwards released an insensitive statement slamming the programme’s award-winning makers Wonderhood for failing to consult him, and citing his mental health problems.
He also announced that he is “making an effort to produce my own account of these terrible events”.
Sources say he is plotting a comeback with his new publicist Barry Tomes.
But the National Network to End Child Abuse told The Sun: “Any attempt to minimise or reframe the severity of image-based child sexual abuse, whatever the source, is harmful — both to survivors and to public understanding of how serious these crimes are.
“The public concern in this case is entirely understandable. A suspended sentence for offences of this severity sends the wrong message.
“Child sexual abuse material is not victimless.
“It involves real children and real harm and must be treated accordingly by the courts.”
The Sun launched its Keep Our Kids Safe campaign after Edwards dodged jail. We called for every paedophile caught with Category A images to get a custodial term.
It was backed by National Crime Agency chief Graeme Biggar, abuse survivors and child sexual exploitation charities.
- Anyone affected by these issues can find support through the NSPCC (0808 800 5000) and Childline (0800 1111).
BOOZINESS IS BANG ON
A JOURNALIST who twice interviewed Edwards has praised the drama’s accuracy, particularly the presenter’s constant wine drinking.
Times writer Andrew Billen said of a lunch they had: “I am pretty sure we motored through two bottles of champagne between 2pm and 5pm, and that he drank considerably more than me.”
He said Edwards then ordered two more glasses.
Billen added: “At six o’clock he astonished me by saying he would be presenting the Ten that night.
“He said he would have three black coffees and three pints of water.”
