Channel 4 faces a viewer backlash if it pushes ahead with a “tawdry” tell-all film with Huw Edwards, industry figures have warned.
Viewers and advertisers would recoil from any attempt to allow the disgraced newsreader to “state his case” on the channel, which is currently under fire over rape allegations on Married At First Sight, insiders claimed.
Politicians are also likely to question the public service broadcasting interest in such a programme.
Channel 4 has held talks with Edwards over a film which would allow the BBC’s once-trusted voice of the nation to explain the serious mental health issues which he says led to his downfall, the Sunday Times reported.
Edwards was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence in 2024 after pleading guilty to receiving and making indecent images of children. Some of those images were Category A – the most serious category – and involved a child aged between seven and nine years old.
The 64-year-old was also accused of grooming a vulnerable teenager, sending him tens of thousands of pounds in exchange for explicit images and videos. Police found no evidence of criminal behaviour in this case.
The mother of the teenager said it was “absolutely disgusting” that Channel 4 was discussing giving a “a convicted paedophile a platform”.
Edwards will ‘state his case’ after silence
Following a Channel 5 drama depicting the grooming claims, which Edwards condemned, he said: “Other opportunities will arise later this year for me to state my case.”
Martin Clunes played Huw Edwards in Channel 5’s drama ‘Power’, about the newsreader’s downfall (Photo: Matt Towers/5 Broadcasting Limited/Paramount/Wonderhood Studios)Edwards is understood to have approached a number of media organisations.
Channel 5 bosses said they had no interest in giving a platform to Edwards.
But Channel 4’s remit, which allows it to tackle provocative subjects other mainstream broadcasters would shun, encouraged the publicly owned network to express an interest, The i Paper understands.
Stephen D Wright, a producer who has worked on Channel 4 shows which pushed the boundaries of taste, such as The Word, said there was “no audience appetite whatsoever” for an Edwards film.
“No one wants to hear from Huw Edwards or any convicted sex offenders.”
Channel 4 told to drop ‘tawdry’ ideas
“The MAFS (Married At First Sight) backlash should have stopped all these tawdry ideas,” Wright said. “Shock value for the sake of ratings isn’t always a good look for a decent network. But Channel 4 always tried to have their cake and eat it.”
The leaking of Channel 4’s apparent discussions with Edwards by an insider, at the height of the MAFS furore, may be seen by some as an attempt to force bosses to scupper the project.
With Channel 4 facing questions from MPs over its duty of care policies to participants in MAFS, advertisers might baulk at an Edwards film certain to provoke further controversy, however carefully it is crafted.
Some viewers have already threatened to “boycott” Channel 4 on social media, if the film went ahead.
“They have already lost one sponsor (Tui) over MAFS. Advertisers won’t want to be associated with a documentary platforming a paedophile,” predicted one TV industry executive.
Public service question over film
Channel 4 would “struggle to justify the public service interest” for the film, the figure added.
“There were child victims in those vile videos. Between MAFS and this, it could reopen the case for selling off Channel 4.”
Edwards and Channel 4 programmes chief Ian Katz, a former Newsnight editor, were previously BBC News colleagues. The documentary could air after September when Edwards’ sentence concludes and Katz steps down at Channel 4, it is speculated.
Edwards is said to want the film to discuss some of the issues raised in psychiatric assessments before his sentencing, including his medical conditions. It may also address his troubled relationship with his father.
If the project is considered too controversial by mainstream platforms, Edwards could make the documentary himself and post the results on YouTube, inviting viewers to make their own assessment.
Last year, Edwards sparked rumours that he was attempting some kind of comeback after reactivating his social media accounts and posting an old headshot on Facebook. His Facebook and Instagram content was scrubbed within days following a backlash.
Edwards briefly engaged a publicist this year, who said that he would “speak from the heart” in the documentary he planned to make.
Edwards broke a three-year silence to criticise the Channel 5 drama, starring Martin Clunes, which depicted the events that led to his conviction for making indecent images of children.
He said Channel 5 made “no attempt to check with me the truth of any aspect of their narrative”.
Channel 4 was approached for comment.
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