BBC reporters were investigating Huw Edwards' behaviour before sex pics scandal
BBC journalists were looking into the behaviour of Huw Edwards before the alleged sex images scandal was made public.
Hours after the News At Ten reporter was named as the man at the centre of the allegations, Wednesday’s Newsnight reported new claims from one current and one former BBC worker, who said they had received “inappropriate messages” from Edwards, “some late at night and signed off with kisses”.
Both claimed there was “a reluctance among junior staff to complain to managers about the conduct of high-profile colleagues in case it adversely affected their careers,” the programme said.
According to the Industry website Deadline, Newsnight host Victoria Derbyshire had already contacted “multiple individuals” regarding rumours about his alleged behaviour to staff, earlier this month.
A BBC source confirmed to the Mirror that Derbyshire and Newsnight colleagues were looking into the alleged conduct of Edwards at work prior to The Sun story last week about sex photos and his alleged relationship with a teenager. But the insider played down reports it was a full-scale investigation.
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Victoria Derbyshire was investigating claims made about Huw Edwards (BBC)The source said they had received some initial evidence but it had only been fully developed this week, which led to the Newsnight report on screen just hours after the public learned Edwards was in hospital with mental health issues.
The senior BBC source said: “It would be wrong to characterise anything before the Sun story was published as an ‘investigation’ - as a general point, in any newsroom, it’s perfectly normal for journalists to receive leads on stories, and take their own very initial soundings on these leads, some of which go on to go through the wider BBC editorial process, and some of which don’t.
“In this case these very initial soundings, which took place in the days before last Friday, developed further after last Friday and resulted in the story you saw last night.”
Newsnight has received some criticism for the timing of the report. It came hours after Met Police said no criminal offence had been committed by the presenter.
And it also followed just hours after Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind confirmed Edwards was the BBC presenter involved in the allegations, but that he would be in hospital for some time with mental health issues. She said: “Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
“The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.
“Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published.”
Huw's wife Vicky Flind named him as the broadcaster behind the sexting scandal (HUW JOHN, CARDIFF)Following the family statement, BBC Director General Tim Davie said in a note to staff it is “important” that the work on the internal investigation continues, adding: “I want to be clear that in doing so we will follow due process.”
A BBC report also stated that a variety of options were still possible in terms of Edwards and his BBC future, once the internal investigation ended.
The report on the BBC news website stated: “It could end in a reprimand. It could end in dismissal. It could end in reputational rehabilitation.”
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BBC director-general Tim Davie will also be questioned in Parliament next week about the corporation’s leadership following the Huw Edwards furore, as the broadcaster’s long-time colleague Jon Sopel said Edwards was “very angry” about the coverage the story has been given.
On Tuesday, the BBC’s Director General Tim Davie said in a press conference the initial probe into claims their star paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos only consisted of an unanswered email and a phone call that did not connect.
It then took weeks to move things forward. Davie admitted the system could be improved and said: “There’s clearly going to be learnings. I have asked that we assess how some complaints are red-flagged up the organisation.”
Mr Davie, acting chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens and policy director Clare Sumner will appear before the Lords Communications Committee on Tuesday.
Despite the appearance being booked before the Edwards story broke, the Committee said on Thursday that it would raise issues including “in light of recent events, what concerns have been raised about the adequacy of the BBC’s governance arrangements and how it is addressing these”.
Mr Davie has already ordered a review to “assess how some complaints are red flagged up the organisation” following allegations a high-profile presenter, now known to be Edwards, paid a young person for explicit images.
The BBC is currently conducting “fact-finding investigations” into allegations against the veteran broadcaster, after he was named by his wife on Wednesday night.
When the Metropolitan Police said no criminal offence has been committed by Edwards and no further police action will be taken “at this time”, it allowed an internal BBC investigation to resume.
Edwards is the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of £435,000-£439,999, putting him fourth on the top 10 list, the corporation’s annual report revealed on Tuesday.
The presenter was last seen on BBC One’s News At Ten on July 5 when he co-presented a special edition live from Edinburgh as the King was honoured in the Scottish capital.
Mental health charities have called for Edwards to be given the support and treatment he needs.
The director of Mind Cymru, Susan O’Leary, said Edwards, who is patron of a branch of Mind in Llanelli, said: “We would like to stress that it is important that anybody experiencing serious mental health problems is given the appropriate space to receive the treatment they need.
“We acknowledge that the ongoing news coverage could impact people in many different ways. Mind is here to support anyone who needs help with their mental health.”
Rethink Mental Illness also wrote on Twitter that “everyone connected” to the story should be supported and have their mental health “prioritised”.
PR expert, Edward Coram-James the CEO of Go Up, backed Edwards to bounce back when he was in better health.
He said: "Edwards’ career can and will survive. The police have been clear that, after investigating the incident, no criminal behaviour has been found. In lieu of criminal behaviour, the BBC would cause public outrage were they to sack a man, considered by many to be a bit of a national treasure, that has not been accused of any criminality and who is clearly experiencing significant mental health issues, to the point of having been hospitalised.
“In these scenarios, when the media, social media and politicians have clearly gone too far, there’s always an elastic band effect: the public, having been pushed, will always snap back and rally around the flag. In this case, Huw is the flag. There will be a public outcry over his treatment to date and an even greater PR meltdown were he to be let go.”
If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email [email protected]
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