Channel 5 has released a raft of new images of Martin Clunes as Huw Edwards in its highly anticipated new drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards.
The Doc Martin and Manhunt star plays the former BBC News presenter in the feature-length factual drama, which premieres on Tuesday 24 March at 9pm on Channel 5. Both episodes will also be available to stream on My5.
The series explores "the story of how a vulnerable 17-year-old was groomed by one of the most powerful figures in television", according to the synopsis, which continues: "The series explores the newsreader’s double life as it spirals out of control, leading him to make the greatest announcement of his career – his total exit from public life following his conviction for serious child sexual offences."
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In September 2022, Edwards was one of Britain's most trusted newsreaders, chosen to deliver the historic announcement that Queen Elizabeth II had died. A year later, his online activity was exposed.
In 2023, The Sun published allegations that a BBC presenter had paid a young person for sexually explicit photos, with the BBC suspending this male presenter in response. The presenter was then confirmed to be Edwards by his wife Vicky Flind, which prompted a police investigation.
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Edwards received three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and April 2022. He pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court, and was given a suspended sentence.
The drama is built on extensive first-hand interviews, as well as exclusive access to The Sun newspaper's investigation into Edwards.
When the series was announced back in January, Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer of 5, said: "This is an important and shocking story – of how a man in a position of power and trust betrayed that status.
"By gaining exclusive access to the key individuals involved and those who investigated the story, we explore the human cost behind the headlines. As a close collaboration between 5’s factual and scripted teams this is a first for the channel."
The series is directed by Michael Samuels, whose previous credits include The Windermere Children and Any Human Heart, and written by Mark Burt, who penned The Trial. The producer is Angie Daniell, whose credits include A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story and Vigil.
Clunes, best known for his long-running role as the curmudgeonly GP in Doc Martin, has in recent years built a reputation for playing complex real-life figures, notably in ITV's Manhunt, where he portrayed detective Colin Sutton. He also appears in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights as Mr Earnshaw.
Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards airs Tuesday 24 March at 9pm on Channel 5.
