Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards

2026

Drama

IMDb Rating 6.6/10 10 233 233

scandal disgrace news broadcasting based on true events

Plot summary

Docudrama following the downfall of BBC Presenter Huw Edwards.

Director

Michael Samuels Photo
Michael Samuels

Top cast

Clare Calbraith Photo
Clare Calbraith as Victoria Newton
Chanel Cresswell Photo
Chanel Cresswell as Scarlet Howes
Martin Clunes Photo
Martin Clunes as Huw Edwards
Jason Hughes Photo
Jason Hughes as Mick Granger
720p.WEB
802.18 MB
1280*640
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 27 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 8 / 10

A harrowing drama.

Huw Edwards spoke for a nation, the man chosen to share the news of the death of the Queen. The public, however, was entirely unprepared for the shocking revelations regarding a national treasure that would soon follow. This drama examines the harrowing fall from grace of one of the BBC's most trusted voices, charting the grooming of a vulnerable 17-year-old, Ryan, and the eventual criminal conviction that torched a decades-long career.This is arguably one of the most cohesive and well-made dramas to come from Channel 5, proving their serious commitment to home-grown, hard-hitting storytelling. It is an incredibly uncomfortable watch, which is the mark of a successful drama tackling such repulsive subject matter. Martin Clunes is outstanding, delivering a remarkable performance that captures the accent and demeanour of Edwards with haunting accuracy. Osian Morgan is equally fantastic as Ryan, while Sian Reese-Williams steals numerous scenes as his distraught mother.The drama is likely to fill viewers with a justifiable rage. We are living in an era where individuals can receive custodial sentences for loathsome tweets, yet a powerful predator remains free after accessing thousands of indecent images of children. The behaviour depicted here does not suggest poor mental health, but rather a calculated, manipulative individual. Watching Ryan transition from a naive teen into a broken, drug-fuelled young man is harrowing. While it is sickening to see such an abuse of power, it is a relief that these stories are finally being told. It is an embarrassment to call him a fellow Welshman, and a tragic reminder of the numerous victims left in the wake of his double life.8/10.
Reviewed by 7 / 10

I am amazed this impressed me a bit

Reviewed by 5 / 10

Power... but whose?

(This unbiased review is based on what I recall of the news coverage of these events at the time, and the "facts" according to this production. I am not taking anyone's side.)I well remember how ITV gloated in the revelations about the misdemeanours of Huw Edwards - the figurehead for their main rival the BBC's news coverage... especially coming so soon after they were the only channel not to report on the similar scandal surrounding their own presenter Phillip Schofield. According to the media announcements about this production, I was expecting a sordid story about a respected TV presenter's evil and perverted grooming and sexual exploitation of a vulnerable and innocent child. However..."Ryan" isn't a child : he's 17 (above the age of consent, and - just - below the legal age to participate in sexually explicit material). "Ryan" isn't exploited : he makes the initial contact with Edwards, having been told that he can expect to be generously financially rewarded for what will be asked of him. "Ryan" isn't groomed : he knows full well what he's getting into, and does so willingly. As depicted in this production, "Ryan" isn't a very pleasant person : he's work-shy, blows the money he receives on drink and drugs, and then demands more from the person supposedly exploiting him.Huw Edwards isn't whiter-than-white by any means, but neither does he seem to be the villain we've been told he is, especially in these days of OnlyFans. If we're supposed to come away from viewing this with our media-enforced disgust of him confirmed, then this production fails miserably, because despite trying to skew our sympathies towards "Ryan", at the end of this my sympathies are more with Edwards than his supposed victim. In my opinion, the true villains of this situation are "Ryan", his parents (who choose to go to the press rather than the police), and The Sun newspaper (who, it's suggested, had been gunning for Edwards for years).Too much in this production goes unsaid :- Edwards' wife is notably absent throughout; it's implied that Huw and "Ryan" genuinely care about each other (but that's brushed under the carpet because it completely changes the narrative of exploiter and victim).I can understand Huw Edwards' anger at the one-sidedness of this production, because I too would like to see a more-balanced version of this story.
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