Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, is investigating a complaint from former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards concerning a Channel 5 drama that depicted his downfall. The programme, titled 'Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards', starred Martin Clunes and was broadcast earlier this year.
Ofcom confirmed it is investigating the drama under its “fairness and privacy” rules. Edwards told the Guardian that he had made the complaint and had a series of concerns about how the programme depicted the events leading to his disgrace.
The drama, which became Channel 5’s highest-rated show of the year after its broadcast in March, attracted 3.8 million viewers in four weeks. Edwards has previously claimed that the show's producers failed to verify the truth of their narrative with him, stating it was “hardly likely to convey the reality of what happened.”
Channel 5 has defended the programme, stating it was based on “extensive interviews with the victim, his family, the journalists who revealed his story, text exchanges between the victim and Edwards, and court reporting.” A Channel 5 spokesperson confirmed they stand by the programme and will be robustly defending the complaint.
Edwards pleaded guilty to accessing indecent photographs of children in July 2024 and received a six-month suspended prison sentence. The Channel 5 series focuses on an earlier allegation from July 2023 by The Sun, which claimed a “top BBC star” paid a teenager for sexual pictures, with Edwards later identified as the star.