BBC sat on Huw Edwards sex scandal before exposé

Senior figures at the BBC were aware of allegations against presenter Huw Edwards for “a while”, as three junior employees call out the star’s “inappropriate” behaviour.

Senior figures within the BBC were aware of allegations against Huw Edwards before the scandal broke in the UK media, with the star presenter newly accused of sending “inappropriate” messages to three junior employees.

BBC insiders claim Newsnight anchor Victoria Derbyshire, who conducted the program’s bombshell Prince Andrew interview, was said to be aware of some claims against Edwards days before the mother of an alleged victim came forward in The Sun.

Eyebrows were raised among colleagues when Derbyshire began making “surreal” inquiries last week over the conduct of Edwards, who is accused of paying a vulnerable young person $86,000 for nudes, starting when the kid was 17 and funding a crack cocaine addiction for three years.

Huw Edwards with the Live Event award for ‘The State Funeral of HM Queen’ during The TRIC Awards 2023 at Grosvenor House on June 27, 2023. Picture: Getty Images

Since the alleged victim’s mother first made the allegations, the person disputed the account in a legal letter and the Met Police said there was no evidence of a criminal offence by Edwards, the highest-paid newsreader at the BBC.

In the week since, however, three additional people came forward with fresh allegations against the star anchor, who has been hospitalised after first learning the allegations would be exposed a day before publication.

Hours after being named, Newsnight reported that Edwards also allegedly sent “inappropriate” and “suggestive” messages to junior BBC employees.

While the messages were not considered criminal, the content -- including comments about appearances -- was alleged to be a potential abuse of power.

Quoting two BBC sources on condition of anonymity, Deadline reported that Derbyshire had been looking into Edwards for “a while” and had contacted several people over Edwards’ alleged behaviour.

Huw Edwards BBC presenter announcing the death of the Queen . Picture: BBC

Ms Derbyshire’s internal reporting on her colleague raises questions over whether BBC’s corporate executives or senior news editors were aware of claims against Edwards even as he remained on the air and received awards for his coverage of the Royal family.

Edwards was a household name and key presenter in the broadcaster’s coverage of King Charles III’s coronation, and was honoured as recently as June 27 with an award for his live event coverage of the Queen’s state funeral.

Other sources claim other BBC journalists were making early inquiries into workplace impropriety allegations without informing management, according to The Guardian.

More potential stories on Edwards are in the works despite BBC’s corporate management announcing an internal inquiry to look at the allegations and to “assess how some complaints are red flagged up in the organisation”.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie, as well as chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens and policy director Clare Sumner, will face questioning in UK parliament on Tuesday around their handling of the allegations against Edwards, who has been suspended but has not resigned.

BBC director-general Tim Davie will be grilled by UK parliament over handling of the allegations.

Former BBC journalist Jon Sopel, who worked with Edwards for decades, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that he had spoken to Edwards and his colleagues over their “anger and dismay” at the BBC’s coverage.

“He was very angry. I think felt very let down by what happened in The Sun, furious with their coverage, not overly impressed with the BBC’s coverage, either,” Sopel said.

“He can be a complicated person to deal with. If you are entering Huw’s orbit, he’s very defensive of his own territory.

“I thought that some of the coverage about what has happened, about someone’s private life, which is complicated and possibly a bit messy, and that some might find distasteful, I don’t see what it’s got to do with anyone else if there’s no question of illegality, there’s no question of sexual assault.”

Originally published as BBC sat on Huw Edwards sex scandal before exposé