Whenever a TV show depicts a recent scandal, people often say it’s “too soon” to be dramatized. However, this can often be a way of admitting we’re not ready to deal with the uncomfortable feelings it brings up. It’s simply easier to understand and accept difficult truths once some time has passed.
With its focus on a prominent figure, the upcoming drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards (premiering March 24th on Channel 5) is likely to spark further discussion and controversy.
It was expected that revealing the downfall of a previously respected news presenter would cause a strong response. For many years, Huw Edwards seemed as dependable and well-known as the news desk itself. However, simply waiting before addressing the situation doesn’t automatically make the story more sensitive. Time alone can’t resolve the ethical issues at the heart of this case. In fact, dealing with them now might ensure the focus remains on the unacceptable behavior, preventing it from being forgotten.
More important than when this story is told is how it’s told. A project like this could easily exploit a difficult situation for entertainment, or make the perpetrator seem sympathetic. Fortunately, this version doesn’t focus on whether Edwards felt sorry for his actions. Instead, it rightly concentrates on the power and control that presenter Martin Clunes – who portrays him with unsettling calmness – had over the teenage boy he manipulated.
The film powerfully illustrates the power imbalance between Ryan, a young and vulnerable boy (played by Osian Morgan), and Edwards, who uses his position of authority to manipulate him psychologically.
The series effectively shows how Edwards controlled the teenager through subtle, yet deeply upsetting, tactics. He often called the young man “baby” in private, a stark contrast to the serious persona he presented on television. At other times, he verbally attacked and intimidated him, slowly damaging his self-esteem and isolating him from his mother, Carys, who worried she was losing her son.
The story goes beyond the initial reports about Edwards’s relationship with a teenager. Investigators discovered troubling online conversations he had with another man between late 2020 and mid-2021. These messages included illegal images of children, some of which were extremely serious. This led to a police investigation into Edwards’s online activity, and he ultimately admitted to offences involving indecent images of minors.
Clunes’s casting adds a powerful layer to the story. He’s well-known for playing kind, approachable characters, like the beloved doctor in Doc Martin, which naturally makes audiences feel comfortable with him on screen. But in this case, that familiarity is used to create a disturbing effect. As the character he plays becomes increasingly menacing, it’s as if that comforting feeling is being slowly taken away, leaving viewers unsettled.
Traditionally, Huw Edwards was the face people trusted for important news, as shown in a replay of his announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022. Having another well-known actor, Martin Clunes, deliver the same announcement highlights how easily that trust can be broken.
The story revisits a powerful image: Edwards back at the news desk, but this time reading a report about his own guilty verdict. While imagined, this scene is impactful, highlighting the show’s central idea – the stark contrast between how someone appears publicly and who they truly are privately.
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Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards will air on Tuesday 24 March at 9pm on 5.
Authors
David Brown is a Deputy Previews Editor at TopMob, focusing on crime and fantasy television. He’s been featured as a commentator on BBC News, Sky News, and Radio 4’s Front Row, and his writing has appeared in publications like the Guardian, the Sunday Times, and the i newspaper. He’s also contributed as a writer and editor to the National Television Awards and has worked on documentaries about prominent figures including Lenny Henry, Billy Connolly, and Take That.
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2026-03-17 04:07