EXCLUSIVE: Huw Edwards will keep hold of awards trophies for his coverage of major royal events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, after pleading guilty to accessing child abuse images.
BAFTA, the Royal Television Society (RTS), and the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) have ruled out stripping Edwards of prizes for anchoring BBC broadcasts of major national moments.
The three organizations said the awards recognized the efforts of production teams, rather than simply celebrating Edwards’ presenting skills.
Although the team awards will remain in place, BAFTA is reviewing seven individual prizes handed to Edwards, a proud Welshman, by the BAFTA Cymru Awards.
“Like everyone in the industry and country, we were shocked by the news – given the seriousness of this abhorrent crime, we are reviewing,” a spokesperson said.
Edwards will keep hold of other BAFTA awards including the 2012 gong for Sport & Live Event, which was presented to the BBC for its coverage of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011.
Similarly, the RTS said the BBC’s Live Event award for The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II will remain in place.
“Our Live Event category for the RTS Programme Awards is presented to a program as a whole and the team behind it. We are therefore not reviewing or rescinding this award from 2023,” a spokesperson said. Edwards has not won an individual RTS prize.
A TRIC spokesperson added: “The BBC Events team won the TRIC Award for Live Event coverage of The State Funeral HM Queen Elizabeth II [in 2023]. On the day Huw Edwards spoke on behalf of the team to accept the award.”
Edwards’ attendance at the TRIC Awards last year was his final public appearance until last week when he appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to indecent child image charges.
The court heard that Edwards received images on WhatsApp of children aged 13 to 15, as well as “moving images” of a young child, possibly aged between seven and nine.
The presenter, who has worked at the BBC for decades and was at the peak of his powers until last year, will be sentenced next month.
The BBC has started to remove Edwards from library content, including an episode of Doctor Who, but appears willing to stand by archive footage of the newsreader during major national moments.
For example, videos of the presenter announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth remain on BBC News’ YouTube channel and website.
There is a feeling within the BBC newsroom that these are matters of historical record and it could be a disservice to viewers to scrub them from the archives.
In conclusion, while Huw Edwards’ involvement in accessing child abuse images has tarnished his reputation, the organizations responsible for awarding him have decided to separate his personal actions from his professional achievements. The debate around whether to revoke his awards continues, with some maintaining that they are a recognition of the team’s efforts rather than solely Edwards’ performance. As the legal proceedings unfold, the future of Edwards’ career remains uncertain, but his past work continues to be preserved in the archives as a part of historical record.
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