Huw Edwards content scrubbed from BBC’s iPlayer after scandal
Archive footage deleted after disgraced former newsreader pleaded guilty to child sex images charge.
The BBC is deleting Huw Edwards from its archive footage in the wake of the child sex images scandal embroiling the former newsreader.
The disgraced former presenter pleaded guilty last week to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told he received 377 sexual images in a WhatsApp conversation with another adult, including 41 indecent pictures of children.
Seven images were classed as Category A, the most severe. It means Edwards – who officially resigned from the BBC in April, having been off-air since allegations about his behaviour first surfaced – could face a possible jail term when he is sentenced.
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As one of the nation’s best-known presenters, the 62-year-old featured on many broadcasts, including as the main anchor on election nights and for the late Queen’s funeral.
Content involving the Welshman is now being removed, starting with family and entertainment shows on the iPlayer.
A Doctor Who episode from 2006 has already been taken off the iPlayer because it featured a scene with Edwards’ voice used in a news report.
“As you would expect, we are actively considering the availability of our archive,” said a spokesman for the BBC.
“While we don’t routinely delete content from the BBC archive as it is a matter of historical record, we do consider the continued use and re-use of material on a case-by-case basis.”
The BBC is not alone in removing Edwards’ legacy following the scandal.
In Llangennech, where the presenter was brought up, a mural featuring him was removed as soon it was announced he had been charged with sexual offences.
Cardiff Council has also removed a plaque honouring Edwards in the Welsh capital city.
Jean Seaton, a professor of media history, told The Observer that airbrushing Edwards out of archive footage was not as simple as it was for content featuring other celebrities such as Jimmy Savile.
“Savile’s entertainment shows centred on him – so deleting much of that archive made sense,” she said.
“But Edwards’s role was adjacent to coverage with importance much larger than him – news and national events.
“That he was the familiar face of such important programmes is a problem. But these events are ours.
“I suspect the BBC can’t or won’t delete the archive – it may make clearly badged alternatives.”
