Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards: Martin Clunes on the challenges of playing disgraced BBC presenter

The Welsh broadcaster was one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters, best known for hosting the BBC’s News at Ten for decades and delivering some of the biggest stories to the British public, including the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

In July 2023, a national newspaper reported that “a top BBC star” had paid a teenager for sexual images.

Days later, Edwards’ wife named him as the presenter at the centre of the scandal. He resigned from the BBC in April and was charged in June 2024 following a Metropolitan Police investigation.

Now, a feature length film starring Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes as Edwards will explore the newsreader’s double life as it spirals out of control, leading to his complete exit from public life following his conviction.

In September 2024, Edwards was sentenced to a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children.

Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, focuses on how a young vulnerable man, played by Osian Morgan, came into contact with one of the most powerful figures in television.

Directed by Michael Samuels, known for The Windermere Children and Any Human Heart, the factual drama is based on first-hand interviews with those at the heart of the story, and many of the text messages between Edwards and the young man.

Clunes, 64, also known for Men Behaving Badly, says he knew portraying Edwards would be a challenge from the beginning.

“Beyond the salacious curiosity around this story, I really thought there was another story worth telling, that of ‘Ryan’ and his family,” says the London-born actor.

“Obviously the press and the media have focussed on the fallen big man, Huw Edwards, which, of course, is a big story.

“But behind that, there’s this lad and his family whose lives got turned upside down and rather spoiled. I’m not on any social media and I had no idea that this sort of thing went on, I really didn’t.”

Clunes says that while preparing for the role, he looked through archive clips of Edwards in an attempt to understand the man behind the newsreader.

“I was familiar with Huw Edwards, the newsreader, and how he presented himself when he was reading the news,” he explains.

“But I’ve seen other actors make the mistake of just inhabiting that projected face of a famous person or politician , I knew that we needed the other side of him too.

“Finding archive clips of Edwards away from the news was less easy, but I wanted to make sure I did.

“I noticed from looking at that archive that he was different when he wasn’t reading the news, and I wanted to make that distinction. If you listen to his rhythms, he’s far more Welsh when he’s not newsreading.”

Clunes, who is known more for his comedy roles, says it can be uncomfortable dealing with sensitive subject material, but you have to go there.

“Sometimes it’s harder when a role is more nebulous and you can’t pin your performance on something, but we had transcripts of text messages between Huw Edwards and ‘Ryan’, and they do appear in the script, so we breathed life into them,” he says.

“It was hard towards the end of the story, hearing Osian’s vulnerable voice when Edwards was bullying him, and the hurt of this boy reaching out in a sensitive way. I didn’t feel very nice at the end of those scenes, so again it was definitely good to have Osian in the room to talk to afterwards.

“I’m not a very heavy person, so my way of dealing with things is generally to be a little facetious and sort of lighthearted, even though I take the work very seriously.”

He adds: “I really like my job, and the problem-solving aspect of it, and I really enjoyed working with Michael.

“I was working with the same camera crew that we had on [ITV drama] Out There, who I adore, so I was among friends. I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise.”

Speaking about filming the phone scenes with Morgan, he says they always made sure to be in the same room.

“Luckily, I did have Osian there with me, who plays Ryan, and he was terrific,” says Clunes.

“A lot of our scenes are seemingly in isolation on phone calls, so we decided to both be there in the room for the other actor.

“Usually, if you film a phone call, the director or assistant director will read out the other lines, and you have to act to that. But because of the intimate nature of so many of these phone calls, we felt we couldn’t do that.

“There’s an intimacy on the phone.

“Having us both in the room for filming really helped to create that feeling. There was only one time it wasn’t possible to be in the same place, and I phoned Osian directly for that scene. He’s a brilliant young actor, I was just bowled over by him and really enjoyed working with him.”

When asked how he feels fans will react to seeing him in this role, Clunes says: “I’ve played a murderer before and I’m vile in Wuthering Heights, so this isn’t my first dark role, but I always just take work from what’s on offer, and I’ve never had a plan.

“I’ve always been lucky enough to balance light-hearted jobs like Doc Martin with dramas in-between. I’m not desperate to reshape myself – I’d play someone like Doc Martin again in a heartbeat.”

Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards airs on Channel 5 on Tuesday, March 24 at 9pm.