Since his grooming scandal came to light, disgraced Huw Edwards has cowered away from the glare of the public eye.
But I can reveal that the former BBC News anchor has now hired showbiz publicist Barry Tomes to help rebuild his career following his child pornography charges, with Edwards planning to ’speak out’ as ’people want to know why he did it’.
Tomes, who grew up on a council estate in Northfield, Birmingham, has decades of experience in the industry, representing music acts and reality stars, including Benefits Street’s White Dee.
His past client list also includes Lulu, The Saturdays, and The Beach Boys, whom he worked with on and off over 45 years.
’I approached Huw,’ Tomes, 70, tells the Daily Mail. ’A lot of the public wants to find out how someone ended up doing what he did. People want to know why he did it.
’People say, “How did someone with such an amazing life come to do these things?”
‘I don’t have the answer to that, but I would like to find it out. I believe the public want to know that. That’s what is driving me.’
He added: ‘I asked Huw if he intends to speak out in the long-term and he said yes. There are no imminent plans to do anything.’
The 64-year-old presenter’s comeback plans have been sparked by his frustration over Channel 5’s new two-part drama Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, starring Martin Clunes, which airs today at 9pm.
‘Channel 5’s ‘factual drama’ is hardly likely to convey the reality of what happened,’ Edwards said in an exclusive statement to the Daily Mail at the weekend.
But Tomes says for now, Edwards, who retreated from London to a quiet Welsh village where his mother lives, is currently focusing on rebuilding his family. His ex-wife, Vicky Flind, ended their 30-year marriage after police charged him with three counts of making indecent images of children. They have five children together.
‘He’s got a lot of rebuilding to do with his family and friends. All that takes time. His main focus at the moment is looking after his elderly mother. When he chooses to do something in the public eye, he has to be ready mentally,’ Tomes added.
And the experienced publicist is very aware of the backlash he will face for taking Edwards on as a client.
He explained: ‘I wasn’t nervous when I started being a publicist for Huw. I’ve got quite broad shoulders. I’m 70, and I’ve got life experience. I’ve had experience of taking flak.
‘Will my Facebook numbers go down? Yeah. But that’s OK. Because I don’t need people who judge me. Judge what I achieve, not what I do. I have a mantra, which is: ‘If someone is having a go at me, they’re leaving someone else alone.’
‘When I worked on [Channel 4 documentary] Benefits Street, I had MPs attacking me. I was accused of promoting poverty porn. There was a show on Al Jazeera TV saying I was the king of poverty porn. It’s all been thrown at me.’
On Sunday, Edwards made a grovelling apology to the Daily Mail, offering ‘regret and remorse’ for his 2024 conviction for possessing indecent images of children. He received a six-month sentence, suspended for two years after admitting to the three charges.
He said: ‘My deep regret and remorse for the crimes I committed were expressed in court. In pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity, I took full responsibility for my reprehensible actions. I am repelled by the idea that some people enjoy viewing indecent images of children. Every image represents an innocent victim. I offer my sincere and profound apologies for what I did.’
Edwards also shared plans to tell his side of the story: ‘I am making an effort to produce my own account of these terrible events. This is a slow process given the fragile state of my health.
‘I have been open about my struggle with persistent mental illness over a period of 25 years. What is less well known is the severity of that condition, which was managed successfully until the downward spiral which led to an appalling outcome.
‘Mental illness is misunderstood by many, but can never be an excuse for criminality.
‘It can, however, at least help explain why people sometimes behave in shocking and reprehensible ways, and why things fell apart for me in the way they did.’
Elsewhere, Edwards lambasted Wonderhood, the production company behind the Channel 5 drama.
The show charts how Edwards groomed a young man on social media. No doubt, it will be a painful watch for the former BBC News At Ten host, not least as it will be a reminder that just three years ago he was still presenting the flagship show – a job he did for decades, breaking some of the nation’s biggest news stories, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Edwards said: ‘[They] made no attempt to check with me the truth of any aspect of their narrative before going ahead with the production.
‘They belatedly asked for a response after the drama had been made, while reserving the right to edit any such response. They also refused to disclose whether any of those making allegations had been paid for their contributions.’
Edwards is yet to see the show but added: ‘It is difficult to see how this approach can be considered remotely responsible or fair, or be in compliance with key sections of the Ofcom code on broadcast standards.’
A Channel 5 spokesperson said: ‘Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards is based on extensive interviews with the victim, his family, the journalists who revealed his story, text exchanges between the victim and Edwards, and court reporting.
‘It has been produced in accordance with Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. All allegations made in the film were put to Huw Edwards via his solicitors six weeks before transmission.’
- Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards will air tonight at 9pm on Channel 5 and its streaming service My5.
