Huw Edwards reported on the late Queen’s State Funeral (Image: BBC)
Huw Edwards is reported to be planning a significant comeback. The 64-year-old was formerly among the BBC‘s highest-paid news presenters, having anchored News At Ten for decades, and was also the face of historic occasions, including the death of the late Queen Elizabeth, her funeral, the death of Prince Philip, and the Coronation of King Charles.
Nevertheless, Edwards’ once formidable career collapsed in July 2023, when his wife identified him as the BBC figure at the centre of allegations that a BBC personality paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexual pictures. He stepped down from his role in April 2024. Disgraced Edwards was subsequently charged in June of the same year, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. In September of the same year, he received a six-month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty.
Barry Tomes recently appeared on GMB (Image: ITV)
He admitted guilt to three charges of making indecent images in July 2024. Edwards was placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years following his sentence.
Yet while Edwards maintains there have been “fabricated” claims in the Channel 5 drama focused on his downfall, his now former publicist has suggested he’s considering fresh opportunities.
Barry Tomes, who represented Edwards for seven days on a pro-bono basis, maintains that Edwards has been flooded with offers. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Tomes revealed that he had been inundated with proposals for “photoshoots and interviews, I’ve had offers for all the news shows,” he said.
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He added: “I’ve had six TV shows, three documentaries, and an offer from someone who has written a book about child pornography. I’ve had offers from podcasts in the UK and the US.”
Tomes withdrew from representing Edwards on Wednesday after informing the disgraced former presenter of the approaches he had received.
Talent agent and PR specialist Dermot McNamara told The Mirror: “Any idea that Huw could have a comeback is completely delusional. What Huw did was far from a minor PR wobble that could be smoothed out with some carefully timed interviews. This is on a completely different level. The fact he’s even entertaining this feels messy, reactive and frankly a bit desperate.
“Barry Tomes inserting himself so publicly into the situation only adds to how strange it all looks. When you’ve got someone openly talking about being ‘flooded’ with offers, it starts to feel less like genuine crisis management and much more like opportunism. It gives the impression that there’s something to be gained from an incredibly serious situation, especially given the nature of the crimes Huw plead guilty to. There appears to be a complete disconnect from reality.”
Following the Channel 5 drama, Edwards revealed he is considering his options to “challenge the misleading or fabricated” stories surrounding him.
He said in a statement: “Much has been written and reported in the past week following Channel 5’s one-sided account. Other opportunities will arise later this year for me to state my case and to challenge the misleading or fabricated claims made in recent coverage.
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“A number of serious questions still remain to be answered, and not just by me. It will now take some time for me to produce my own account, and until then, I do not intend to comment any further.”
It is believed that Edwards plans to create his own documentary or podcast series regarding the events.
