BBC considering legal action if Huw Edwards refuses to pay back £200k

The BBC has revealed it is prepared to “explore” legal action if ex-presenter Huw Edwards refuses to return the staggering £200,000 he earned after being removed from screens.

In July, the broadcaster was named among the BBC’s highest-paid employees, placing him in the top 10 of its annual salary reports.

It stated that Edwards was paid at least £475,000 between 2023 and 2024, even though he was taken off-air in July 2023.

This marked a substantial increase from his previous salary, which was listed in 2022-23 as between £435,000 and £439,999.

BBC taxpayers made furious calls for the 62-year-old to return his earnings after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

The BBC director-general said he hopes “to make progress” to recover the around £200,000 in earnings from former newsreader Huw Edwards.

Tim Davie told the House of Lords’ Communications and Digital Committee on Tuesday that the money, which spanned from Edwards arrest in November until he resigned from the BBC in April, had not yet been returned.

Mr Davie said: “We’ve made the formal request, and I can’t go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I’ve got no further news, apart from the BBC’s position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.”

When asked if he set a deadline, he said: “I don’t believe we set a deadline… but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.”

Mr Davie also said the BBC will “explore” the legal process if Edwards refuses.

In July, Edwards appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court and admitted three offences between December 2020 and April 2022.

Between December 2020 and August 2021, he was in conversation with an adult man on WhatsApp, who supplied him with 377 sexual images, 41 were indecent images of children.

Of the category A images, the ages of most children were between 13 and 15, though one was aged between seven and nine, the court heard.

The final of the indecent images was sent in August 2021 which was a category A film with a young boy.

Edwards will be sentenced next week and he could be faced with a minimum sentence of 12 months in prison following a guilty plea.

The newsreader resigned earlier this year after 40 years of work and stated the decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors.

The father-of-five moved out of the family home in Dulwich after separating from his wife.

He has since been living in a flat in Earlsfield, southwest London.