Explained | Scandal at the BBC over explicit photos Premium

Britain’s national broadcaster – the BBC – is currently gripped in a scandal with its star news presenter Huw Edwards being accused of allegedly paying a teenager for sexually explicit photos.

The story so far: TheBritish Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) star news presenter Huw Edwards is at the centre of a scandal over paying for sexually explicit photos. While his identity was initially kept hidden when the scandal broke, Mr. Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind issued a statement on July 12, revealing him to be the accused BBC presenter.

In the statement, Ms. Flind stated that the 61-year-old host of BBC’s flagship show ‘News at 10’ is suffering from ‘serious mental health issues’ and is now receiving in-patient care at a hospital, where he will stay for the foreseeable future. She added that Mr. Edwards has been battling severe depression in recent years.

The news was first broken by British tabloid The Sun on July 7, when it revealed that a BBC news presenter had allegedly payed £35,000 since 2020 to someone who was then a teenager in return for ‘sordid images’. Mr. Edwards was suspended by the BBC after further details of the scandal emerged.

Mr. Edwards, a Welsh journalist who began his career with the BBC in 1984, has been the broadcaster’s top newsreader, often heading its flagship shows — Six O’ Clock News and Ten O’ Clock News. Apart from covering several elections, he has also presented BBC’s commentary at the Olympic ceremonies and recently delivered the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death to a grieving nation.

On July 7, The Sun reported that a ‘top BBC presenter’ was taken off air as allegations of him paying a teenager for sexual images were being investigated. Speaking to the girl’s mother, the tabloid reported that the payment was allegedly used to fund a drug habit. The mother claimed that the BBC star had been paying her child since 2020, when she was 17, demanding explicit photos via ‘sleazy messages’.

The report immediately caused an uproar with many BBC presenters coming under the cloud of suspicion on social media. Several top BBC hosts such as Jeremy Vine, Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell were speculated to be the presenter in question, and faced severe attacks.

On July 9, BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell publicly refuted claims and reported to the London Metropolitan police after being wrongly named as the BBC presenter at the centre of the scandal. Similarly, BBC’s Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker tweeted, “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me”. TV host Rylan Clark also wrote, “Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun - that ain’t me babe”. BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine too echoed Mr. Clark, tweeting, “it certainly ain’t me.”