Martin Clunes Reflects on Playing Huw Edwards
Doc Martin actor Martin Clunes has discussed the complexities involved in portraying former reader Huw Edwards. Edwards, once one of the UK's most prominent journalists, was known for delivering major news stories over four decades before being convicted of making indecent images of children.
As Clunes prepares to portray Edwards in an upcoming drama, he expressed his belief that actors should never judge the characters they play. Despite this, the Wuthering Heights star mentioned that he had heard from individuals familiar with Edwards that "he was never fun to work with."
About the Drama: Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards
The drama, titled Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards, centers on the story of a young vulnerable man, played by Osian Morgan, who becomes involved with one of television's most influential figures. Clunes emphasized the importance of telling the story beyond the sensational aspects.
"Beyond the salacious curiosity around this story, I really thought there was another story worth telling, that of [Edwards' victim] 'Ryan' and his family," said Clunes.
"Obviously the press and the media have focused on the fallen big man, Huw Edwards, which, of course, is a big story.
"But behind that, there's this lad and his family whose lives got turned upside down and rather spoiled. I'm not on any social media and I had no idea that this sort of thing went on, I really didn't."
Background of the Scandal
In July 2023, a national newspaper reported that "a top BBC star" had paid a teenager for sexual images. Shortly after, Edwards' wife publicly identified him as the presenter involved in the scandal. Edwards resigned from the BBC in April and was charged in June 2024 following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
In September 2024, Edwards was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court to a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children.
Clunes' Reaction to the News
Clunes shared that he was "surprised" when Edwards was revealed as the individual involved after initial reports of a "top BBC presenter" being suspended. He reflected on the media's treatment of public figures.
"You felt sympathy for him at first, because it just seemed like a person in the public eye was being outed in the newspapers.
"I can say from personal experience that newspapers only want to be nasty about people in the public eye.
"But then they found messages on his telephone, and that was a whole different ball game."
Edwards' Career and Reputation
Born in Bridgend, Edwards was among the BBC's highest-paid newsreaders and played a key role in covering significant events such as the death of Queen Elizabeth II and multiple general elections.
Clunes, known for his role in Men Behaving Badly, expressed curiosity about how such behavior could occur in someone so publicly visible.
"How does something like this happen, with someone who is right in front of our faces every single night? There's a lot of curiosity there.
"I never met him, but I had spoken to people who did know him from the work environment, who were very interesting.
"More than one person told me he was never fun to work with, but I didn't know more than that."
Research and Preparation for the Role
To prepare for the role, Clunes extensively studied archive footage of Edwards both on and off the screen.
"I was familiar with Huw Edwards, the newsreader, and how he presented himself when he was reading the news," he said.
"But I've seen other actors make the mistake of just inhabiting that projected face of a famous person or politician – I knew that we needed the other side of him too.
"Finding archive clips of Edwards away from the news was less easy, but I wanted to make sure I did."
Newly released photos from the Channel 5 series show Clunes transformed into Edwards, including one image where he is seated in Edwards' trademark position behind the news desk.
"I've always been a character actor and I like to submerge myself and try to be somebody else, that's part of the challenge," Clunes said.
"So then when you're assisted by hair and makeup, you really don't feel like yourself any more."
Depicting the Victim and Filming Experience
The feature-length drama portrays Edwards exchanging messages with the victim, referred to as 'Ryan' (not his real name), played by Welsh actor Osian Morgan.
"A lot of our scenes are seemingly in isolation on phone calls, so we decided to both be there in the room for the other actor," Clunes explained.
"I didn't feel very nice at the end of those scenes, so again it was definitely good to have Osian in the room to talk to afterwards."
Handling the Heavy Subject Matter
Clunes acknowledged the emotional difficulty of the role but described his approach to managing it.
"I knew it would be a challenge on a number of levels," he said.
"It can be uncomfortable, but it's all part of the job and you just have to go there."
"I certainly don't think you should ever be judging a character you're playing, you just have to find ways to get into character.
"I'm not attracted to men, but I'm attracted to women, so I know what it feels like to be attracted.
"Then sometimes with acting you just have to jump off the cliff and hope you land well – you don't want everything to feel measured and calculated."
Broadcast Details
Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards is scheduled to air on 24 March on Channel 5 and its streaming platform My5.
