The BBC, Britain's public broadcaster, has been damaged by Huw Edwards' crimes, director general Tim Davie told a major industry conference in London on Tuesday. “A story like this has an impact on our reputation,” he said, noting that the full fallout for the broadcasting giant was not yet clear. But he argued: “You can maintain trust by doing the right thing.”
Speaking during a keynote address at the Royal Television Society's (RTS) London Convention 2024, he addressed the six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, handed down to former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards on Monday after he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. The 63-year-old said he was “deeply sorry” for the “abhorrent” images before being sentenced.
Could Edwards return to the BBC? “I can’t see it happening,” Davie said. “This man has just been convicted of appalling crimes.”
And what about the impact on the archive? Will old programs featuring the former host be banned or blocked? “I would never say never,” Davie said, signaling a case-by-case approach rather than an outright ban on the use of archive footage of Edwards.
The BBC chief also said “we wrestled with this” when he and others decided to continue paying the former host, calling it “a very difficult decision”. But the decision to continue paying him until he was charged, which the BBC chief said was the right way to proceed, was taken with everyone acting “in good faith”, he said. However, the BBC will look at what it could have done differently, such as perhaps putting Edwards' salary in a separate pot and keeping it there until a legal decision is made, the BBC chief said.
Davie also said on Tuesday that the BBC has asked Edwards to return the £200,000 ($265,000) he received in salary after his arrest. “We are just shocked,” Davie said of the emotional side of the story, and people at the BBC feel “deeply disappointed.”
He concluded that the media industry is still a place where some people are creatively brilliant but their behavior is inappropriate. A board review of the BBC's work culture, which has yet to be approved, is expected to be launched in the near future, according to Davie. And he shared that he expects a review of the beloved celebrity dance show Dancing with the Starsfollowing complaints about the behavior of two former professionals and the launch of new welfare measures on the set, which are expected to be concluded shortly.
In late March, outlining his priorities, Davie said the BBC needed more partnerships with media, entertainment and technology giants, such as the one with Walt Disney Co. for the hit science fiction series Doctor Whoand further change the way it does business in a competitive and polarised world. He described the BBC’s three essential roles and objectives as: “pursuing truth without ulterior motives, championing the British narrative and bringing people together”. The proactive but thoughtful use of artificial intelligence and “ethical algorithms” is also part of his plans for the broadcaster.