Huw Edwards allegations: reaction as BBC News at Ten presenter named as person at centre of scandal

Reaction has poured in from colleagues of BBC presenter Huw Edwards after he was named as the suspended star at the centre of damaging explicit photo allegations.

In a statement released on his behalf by his wife Vicky Flind on Wednesday (12 July), the veteran newsreader was identified as the suspended BBC star who allegedly paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photographs. Further allegations have also seen him accused of sending threatening messages to a young person and breaking Covid lockdown rules to meet with a third accuser.

Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police have both commented on the situation stating that there was no evidence of any illegal activity or criminal doings from that which was provided to them. In the statement, Flind also stated that her husband, who has opened up publicly in the past about his battle with severe depression, was now hospitalised with "another serious episode" in the wake of the scandal.

Edwards' colleagues and bosses at the BBC have now commented on the situation following the admission by his wife earlier this evening.

How did Tim Davie react to Huw Edwards being named?

The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie has issued a statement after it was publicly revealed that Edwards was the suspended presenter in questions. He said: “Many of you will have read the words of Vicky Flind, Huw’s wife. It is a reminder that the last few days have seen personal lives played out in public. At the heart of this are people and their families.

“This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved."

Davie, who admitted to having not spoken to the then-unnamed star about the allegations, added: “Also this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police confirmed they would be taking no further action following an assessment of information provided to them. As you know, we were asked to pause our fact finding investigations until that assessment had been concluded. It is important we now continue with this work. I want to be clear that in doing so we will follow due process.

“This remains a very complex set of circumstances. As we have done throughout, our aim must be to navigate through this with care and consideration, in line with the BBC values.”

What have others said about the situation?

Reaction from across the media industry has poured in after the news of the presenter's identity and wellbeing was shared by his wife.

Former BBC correspondent and close friend of Edwards, Jon Sopel, wrote on Twitter:  “This is an awful and shocking episode, where there was no criminality, but perhaps a complicated private life. That doesn’t feel very private now. I hope that will give some cause to reflect. They really need to. I wish ⁦@thehuwedwards⁩ well.”

While praising BBC Radio 4 for their handling of the breaking news when Edwards was named, Sopel went onto criticise the subsequent coverage of new claims against him. He said: "Well done on handling the breaking news about @thehuwedwards and the fact that he’s now being treated in hospital – but to then straight off back of that into a report on him facing fresh allegations of misconduct? That was just terrible.”

John Simpson, presenter of the BBC's global news programme 'Unspun World', added: "I feel so sorry for everyone involved in this: for the Edwards family, for the complainants, and for Huw himself. No criminal offences were committed, so it’s a purely personal tragedy for everyone involved. Let’s hope the press leave them all alone now."

Alastair Campbell, journalist and former communications director of the Labour Party, called Edwards a "superb broadcaster" and shared his wishes that Edwards, his family and others involved with the stories are given privacy. He also told Channel 4 News: "I hope the media will look at themselves in the coverage of this story".

Reaction has come from the political world too, with former Chancellor and sitting MP Nadhim Zahawi tweeting: "Wishing @thehuwedwards a speedy recovery and his family are allowed the privacy they are entitled to."

How has The Sun reacted to Hue Edwards being named?

The allegations levelled against Edwards were first published in The Sun, however the outlet refused to name the star in question. This led to many rumours being spread online about various names employed by the BBC over the past week.

Following the naming of Edwards, The Sun said in a statement: “The allegations published by The Sun were always very serious. Further serious allegations have emerged in the past few days.

“It is right that the BBC’s Corporate Investigations Team continues to investigate these thoroughly and deals with them in the way that they think is appropriate. The Sun will cooperate with the BBC’s internal investigation process. We will provide the BBC team with a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations which we have received, including some from BBC personnel."

It continued: “The Sun has no plans to publish further allegations. We must also re-emphasise that The Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations.

“Suggestions about possible criminality were first made at a later date by other media outlets, including the BBC. From the outset, we have reported a story about two very concerned and frustrated parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and payments from him that fuelled the drug habit of a young person.

“We reported that the parents had already been to the police who said that they couldn’t help. The parents then made a complaint to the BBC which was not acted upon. It is now for the BBC to properly investigate.”