March 2023
Edwards announces the news of Her Majesty’s death to the nation in September 2022
Huw Edwards has signed a new three-year contract with the BBC after receiving praise for his handling of coverage of the Queen’s death.
This came after he was spotted in the offices of the BBC’s biggest radio rival, Global, in August 2022. The News at Ten veteran admitted at the time that he was “thinking about my future”.
In June of that year he received the honour for best live event at the Tric Awards for being among those who covered the late Queen’s state funeral, and in February he received the special recognition award at the Broadcast Awards.
April 2023
Police were contacted but “no crime was identified.”
May 6, 2023
Edwards presents coverage of King Charles’ coronation as he leads the BBC’s broadcast of the historic event.
May 18, 2023
A relative of the young man, who was 17 at the time, made a complaint in person about the behaviour of a BBC presenter.
May 19, 2023
A whistleblower contacted the BBC in a 29-minute call to the BBC’s audience services team, and details were passed on to the Corporate Investigations Team.
The relative reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop sending him cash.
The Corporate Investigations Team decided that the complaint did not include an allegation of criminality, but warranted further investigation.
Investigators email the whistleblower for more information but receive no response.
June 6, 2023
Receiving no response to the email, the Corporate Investigations Team attempts to call the whistleblower but the call does not connect.
However, The Sun later reported that the family said no one from the corporation called them for a proper interview after they complained.
The BBC said there were no further attempts to contact the family after that date, but the case “remained open”.
July 5, 2023
Edwards appears on screen for the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles’ visit to Scotland.
Huw Edwards is last seen on the BBC covering King Charles’ visit to Scotland.
July 6, 2023
The Sun has informed the BBC Press Office of the allegations against the star presenter.
BBC creates ‘incident management group’ of senior executives after new allegations ‘of a different nature’ against presenter emerge.
It is the first time Mr Davie or any chief executive has been made aware of the case, the BBC reported.
A senior manager has the first conversation with the presenter in question.
It was agreed that he should not appear on air while the allegations are investigated.
July 7, 2023
The Sun has published an exclusive claiming that a BBC presenter, whose name was not released at the time, paid a total of £35,000 for sexual content to someone starting when he was 17.
But a lawyer acting on behalf of the young man told The Sun that afternoon there was “no truth” to the allegations.
The BBC said it would investigate and has contacted the Metropolitan Police.
July 8, 2023
The whistleblower sends the BBC “materials relating to the complaint”.
There has been much speculation about the star’s identity, with Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feeling compelled to deny that they are the man in question.
July 9, 2023
A mock version of an alleged Instagram message exchange between Edwards and a teenage girl.
The BBC confirms that a male presenter has been suspended from all duties.
The Sun reports that the presenter allegedly made two phone calls to the young man and begged him to call his mother to stop the investigation.
July 10, 2023
BBC representatives and Metropolitan Police detectives meet in the morning to discover whether any crime has been committed.
The young man claims through a lawyer that the accusations are “nonsense.”
In response, the Sun said it had “reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about a presenter’s behaviour and the welfare of their son”.
The parents stood by their version to the Sun and the stepfather was quoted in an article saying the allegations were originally made to the BBC “over an hour”.
July 11, 2023
Director-General Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations “incredibly seriously”
BBC Director General Tim Davie defends delay in speaking to BBC presenter.
But the BBC admits there were “lessons to be learned” that prompted one boss to review protocols.
In the afternoon, new claims emerged from the BBC that the presenter sent threatening messages to a second young man.
They reportedly met on a dating app, before the conversation moved to other platforms where the presenter revealed his identity.
He then allegedly sent a series of “threatening messages” to the young man, the BBC has seen.
The Sun reported that the star is also accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old stranger from a dating site.
July 12, 2023
Huw Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Find in South London in 2018. She has since split from the former presenter in the wake of his recent scandals.
Huw Edwards is revealed to be hosted by the BBC by his wife Vicky Flind.
She said he “suffered from serious mental health issues.”
The explosive revelation came just moments after police said they would take “no further action” in the case.
But BBC chief Mr Davie sent an email to staff informing them that an internal investigation would continue even though the police were no longer involved.
The BBC has reported new allegations from two current and one former junior staff who say they received messages that made them feel uncomfortable.
July 12, 2023
Mr Davie has called for a second review of the BBC’s complaints protocols after it emerged the corporation only contacted the family twice, despite the seriousness of the allegations.
November 8, 2023
Edwards is arrested, but does not tell anyone.
Speaking to MailOnline later, a shocked former colleague and friend said: “Huw kept his arrest completely secret.”
They added: “It turns out he was arrested four months later and no one knew. I had no idea until he was charged.”
February 27, 2024
The BBC has apologised to the youngster’s family, who had complained about Edwards two months before he was suspended.
Independent Deloitte report into BBC complaints handling procedure published
The publicly funded broadcaster acknowledged there had been “deficiencies” in the way it had handled the case when reviewing its complaints procedures.
April 2024
Edwards took refuge in his beloved Wales and found solace in Carmarthenshire with his mother Aerona.
April 22, 2024
Edwards resigns from the BBC.
Broadcasting executive Stewart Purvis of the CBE said there was “relief across the BBC” that the “extraordinarily damaging saga” had been resolved.
He added that Edwards’s “retirement from the BBC” would be seen as “a fairly successful outcome” for the corporation.
June 26, 2024
Edwards is charged with possession of indecent images of children.
Interrupting coverage of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ statement in the House of Commons, the BBC announced the breaking news on 29 July.
According to the indictment, he was accused of having six Category A images, 12 Category B images and 19 Category C photographs on WhatsApp.
July 23, 2024
The BBC’s annual report reveals Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 days of presenting, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming.
This salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when she was paid between £435,000 and £439,999 for 180 days of presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials.
This happened despite the fact that it was absent from the screens since the story broke in July of last year until its release nine months later, in April 2024.
But he remained on the payroll while suspended, which is standard BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health problems and receiving hospital care.
The BBC confirmed at the time of his departure that he had not received any compensation and was leaving “on the medical advice of his doctors”.
Managing director Tim Davie defended the pay and the rise, confirming that there was “no payment made in the deal”. He also said he would not “go into detail about who spoke to whom” when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation.
July 31, 2024
Edwards remained silent as he left the courthouse surrounded by reporters today.
Edwards pleads guilty to making 41 indecent images of children and faces jail.
The news presenter admitted keeping seven grade A images of the worst kind on his phone after a paedophile sent them to him on WhatsApp.
The child pornography images depicted young people aged between seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He remained unmoved as he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2022.
Her admission now leaves the former news star’s glittering four-decade career in tatters.
September 16, 2024
Edwards will be sentenced and could face up to 10 years in prison.
