Playing Huw Edwards A Challenge On A Number Of Levels, Martin Clunes Says
Martin Clunes has described the difficulties of portraying Huw Edwards as he prepares to appear in the new drama Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, saying the role presented challenges both in finding the man behind the public face and in treating the story’s victims with care.
Martin Clunes On Playing Huw Edwards
Clunes, best known for his role in Doc Martin, said actors should not be in a position of judgement when taking on difficult parts. He has spoken about being surprised when Edwards was identified in the press and initially feeling sympathy, thinking a public figure was being outed. “You felt sympathy for him at first, because it just seemed like a person in the public eye was being outed in the newspapers, ” he said, adding that discovery of messages on Edwards’ telephone changed the matter entirely.
Preparing for the role led Clunes to look beyond the familiar newsreader persona. He said archive material showed a different side of the broadcaster when he was not reading the news, describing him as sounding “far more Welsh” off-camera. Clunes also noted he had heard from people who had worked with Edwards that the subject “was never fun to work with. ” He added that he is not on social media and had been unaware that this sort of behaviour was taking place.
Drama Focus, Casting And The Victim Known As ‘Ryan’
The drama centers on how a young vulnerable man, identified in the production as “Ryan” and played by Osian Morgan, came into contact with a powerful television figure. Clunes said he wanted the series to tell the story of the victim and his family, not only the downfall of a high-profile presenter. “Beyond the salacious curiosity around this story, I really thought there was another story worth telling, that of [Edwards’ victim] ‘Ryan’ and his family, ” he said. The production will be directed by Michael Samuels.
Legal Fallout And Public Profile
Huw Edwards was one of the ‘s highest-paid newsreaders, known for presenting major events including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and multiple general elections. The scandal began when a national newspaper published claims that a “top star” had paid a teenager for sexual images. Days later, Edwards’ wife named him as the presenter at the centre of the story.
He resigned from the in April and was charged in June 2024 following a Metropolitan Police investigation. Edwards pleaded guilty in July 2024 to charges relating to making indecent images of children, including images of children as young as seven, and in September 2024 was handed a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to three charges.
Clunes said the case raises wider questions about how such behaviour can occur in someone who was so familiar to the public. “How does something like this happen, with someone who is right in front of our faces every single night? There’s a lot of curiosity there, ” he said.
As the drama moves forward, Clunes’ performance will aim to present both the public and private dimensions of the story while keeping the impact on the victim and family central to the narrative.
