Huw Edwards has been asked by the BBC to return over £200,000 of his salary following his arrest in November on charges related to child abuse images.
According to a letter from BBC Chair Samir Shah, Edwards “acted in bad faith” by continuing to receive his salary despite being aware of his actions. Edwards, who was once the BBC’s most prominent newsreader, continued to be paid for five months after his arrest on three counts of creating indecent images of children.
Suspended in July last year and arrested four months later, Edwards did not resign from his role until April. Shah accused Edwards of “living a double life,” presenting himself as a respected broadcaster while betraying the trust of both staff and the public. He described Edwards as the “villain of the piece,” with the “victims being the children” whose exploitation he facilitated.
In July, Edwards pleaded guilty to three charges of creating indecent images of children, with the offences reportedly occurring between 2020 and 2022, involving 37 images shared via WhatsApp, according to the Metropolitan Police.
The BBC has not disclosed whether it will pursue legal action if Edwards refuses to return the salary. In a recent interview, Director-General Tim Davie confirmed that the BBC was aware of Edwards’ arrest in November for the most serious category of child abuse images.
The BBC Board issued a statement expressing support for the decisions made by the director-general and his team during this period. The statement emphasized that had Edwards been forthcoming about his arrest, the BBC would not have continued to pay him with public funds. The board also acknowledged that Edwards’ actions have damaged trust in the BBC and brought the organization into disrepute.
The board plans to review the rules around salary payments during employee suspensions and highlighted that, while the charges relate to Edwards’ personal life, the situation has raised concerns about power imbalances in the workplace.
Between April 2023 and April 2024, Edwards earned a salary between £475,000 and £479,999, an increase of £40,000 from the previous year. Last week, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy urged Edwards to return the £200,000 to the BBC.
