BBC content chief Charlotte Moore has publicly condemned disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards, describing him as ‘the villain of the piece.’
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Moore expressed her horror over the news that Edwards, once one of the BBC’s most prominent presenters, had been arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Moore stated: ‘He’s clearly the villain of the piece, and the victims are those poor children.’
She also defended the BBC’s handling of the situation, insisting that the corporation ‘did everything with the evidence it had at the time.’
Edwards, 62, was arrested in November last year, but it wasn’t until April that he resigned from his position at the BBC.
The news of his arrest, which the corporation was aware of prior to his resignation, has led to widespread criticism and calls for greater accountability within the BBC.
Moore acknowledged the need for significant changes, particularly in how the organization manages workplace culture and the power dynamics that exist within it. ‘All of us have to think really carefully about—have we got our workplace culture where it needs to be?’ she said.
The BBC is now taking steps to ensure that incidents like this do not happen again, with Moore highlighting the importance of the corporation’s duty of care.
This duty of care, she explained, extends to all programs, including Strictly Come Dancing, which has recently been embroiled in its own controversies.
‘We will not tolerate bad behavior, racism, intolerance, prejudice, bullying, and harassment,’ Moore declared, noting that new welfare protocols are being implemented to protect all participants and staff.
Edwards, who was once the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, earning between £475,000 and £479,999 annually, is now facing serious legal consequences.
His bail conditions, as revealed in court records, include a ban on unsupervised contact with children and restrictions on his use of internet devices.
Edwards is also forbidden from contacting Alex Williams, a 25-year-old from South Wales, whose phone was instrumental in the police investigation that led to Edwards’ arrest.
The investigation uncovered 377 sexual images, including 41 indecent images of children, which Williams had sent to Edwards.
As Edwards awaits sentencing in September, with the possibility of an immediate jail term, the BBC has taken further action. The corporation is seeking to reclaim the salary Edwards received between his arrest in November and his resignation in April, a sum amounting to around £200,000.
A BBC spokesperson stated: ‘Mr. Edwards has pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money. He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.’
In the wake of these revelations, Edwards has already begun to lose the honors and accolades he once enjoyed.
Earlier this month, he resigned from his honorary positions at Cardiff University, and he has been stripped of his membership in the prestigious Gorsedd of the Bards Welsh Arts Association.
The situation has only worsened for Edwards as new allegations have surfaced. A 27-year-old man recently accused Edwards of sexually assaulting him in a nightclub toilet in 2022, further tarnishing the former presenter’s reputation.
As the scandal continues to unfold, the BBC is grappling with the damage to its reputation and the trust it once held with the public.
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