Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards: Review

Cast: Martin Clunes, Osian Morgan, Jason Hughes, Sian-Reese Williams

Huw Edwards was the BBC's jewel in their crown.

A measured, assured presence who announced the death of the Queen to the nation in 2022, he became the voice of the BBC and the face of a corporation that sought its national identity. 

But in 2024, when he was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children, the facade dropped and he became just another of the BBC's dirty little secrets that shocked everyone who saw the story. 

This factual drama takes on the telling of how Edwards met and groomed a then-17-year-old "Ryan" (whose name has been changed) over a 3-year period, by giving him cash payments in return for imagery and perhaps more (as is only suggested at one point). Based off of first-hand interviews from Ryan and a few others, the drama carefully constructs the narrative around an entirely different persona to what others would see on TV.

Structured around text message meetings and the occasional video call, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards is not the most compelling of TV watches, and one may suggest, that were it not for the fact it involved Edwards, it wouldn't be as voyeuristic as it is to many who were shocked at what was revealed about the BBC presenter.

Thankfully, the doco isn't voyeuristic at all, and centres itself around the tragedy of Ryan as his teen years are crushed by drugs, abuse and self-abuse. In this aspect, Morgan is a strong presence, even if the narrative leaps and hints at what his drug abuse does to him, all while keeping a few generic sequences of him falling out with his family (Williams and Hughes).

Doc Martin star Martin Clunes is a revelation as Edwards, from the physical look to the lilting Welsh accent, but even he doesn't have much to play with other than moments of pure anger and outrage as the facade threatens to crumble around him. And while little is seen of his family (not surprising given Edwards' reticence to be involved), the story doesn't quite feel rounded enough to be a truly compelling watch for nearly 90 minutes.

Perhaps the greatest revelation here is that the tabloids had been after Edwards since 2018 when claims surfaced and the true horror of what he could get away with is as shocking as what Jimmy Saville did for years too.

A final sequence which depicts Edwards reading his own fate off an autocue will outrage those who feel he's got off lightly - and it's this single moment which shows Clunes is an unbelievable presence. Because elsewhere, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards feels like a missed, safe and bland opportunity.