Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards is this year's Adolescence and here's why
It had divided Channel 5 fans
Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards has divided people from the very moment it was first announced, but here’s our review explaining why Channel 5 did the right thing in making it.
The new film, which lands this week (Tuesday, March 24), caused controversy right away. In January, Channel 5 made the shock announcement that they were dramatising the dramatic fall from grace of former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards.
Not only that, popular TV actor Martin Clunes was taking on the role of disgraced Huw Edwards. At first, it took a while to feel palatable. And plenty of TV viewers expressed their outrage at the decision.
But Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards is this year’s Adolescence and here’s why.
Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards review
Channel 5’s feature-length factual film lays bare the shocking true story that unfolded in 2023 and across 2024. It was a public scandal that left many feeling sickened and duped. Respected BBC News presenter Huw Edwards was revealed to be the man alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. And that wasn’t all. More allegations came out. And Huw was found to be in possession of ‘Category A’ images – the most extreme form of indecent images of children.
Huw Edwards, the man entrusted to announce Queen Elizabeth II’s death on live TV, was eventually found guilty of making indecent images of children at Westminster Magistrates Court in 2024.
The new drama aims to highlight just how a vulnerable 17-year-old was groomed by one of the most powerful figures in TV. It explores the newsreader’s double life as he posed as a respected member of an establishment we all trusted.
It’s based on extensive factual research, including exclusive first-hand interviews with those at the heart of the story. To some, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards may feel like it’s exploiting a traumatic situation for entertainment. But Channel 5, Martin Clunes and even the teenager at the heart of the story have all insisted that the lens is very much on his victims.
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Martin recently said: “Beyond the salacious curiosity around this story, I really thought there was another story worth telling. That of [Edwards’ victim] ‘Ryan’ and his family.”
Huw Edwards’ Channel 5 drama is the new Adolescence
Critics of the new drama have blasted the Channel 5 film for being “too soon”. And many others have said it should never have been made at all. And that’s their right. Of course it will be triggering and uncomfortable to watch. It’s supposed to be. Netflix’s Adolescence centred on a 13-year-old accused of murdering a classmate, exploring the impact of social media, misogynistic influencers, and online radicalisation. Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards does the same, but with a subject matter that people find much more repellent.
What Huw Edwards did – and others like him – was a despicable abuse of trust. It wasn’t the first time, nor will it be the last. In 2012, Operation Yewtree was a Metropolitan Police investigation into sexual abuse allegations, following revelations that Jimmy Savile was a prolific sex offender. The inquiry, conducted with the NSPCC, uncovered abuse spanning decades, leading to the investigation of high-profile figures in the entertainment industry, including Max Clifford and Rolf Harris.
But we can’t lock it away in a box marked ‘things of the past’. Huw Edwards was abusing his power just two years ago. And, sadly, we can guarantee that others are still doing it now.
‘Your truth matters and it deserves to be heard’
If one person watches Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards and realises that they might also be being groomed – or know someone who is – then that might be one person saved or who speaks out.
Talking about his part in Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, Huw’s alleged teenage victim (now 23) revealed why he worked with producers on the scripts. He said: “I chose to tell my story now for the first time so that no one who has been silenced feels they are alone. Your truth matters and it deserves to be heard.
“After years of struggle, I have finally overcome my battle with drugs. I refuse to let Huw Edwards or what he did define who I am or the life I will yet lead.”
‘An unflinching portrait of grooming’
Channel 5’s Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards paints an “unflinching portrait” of what it is like for the vulnerable to be groomed by powerful figures. It reveals how Edwards “seized on and exerted control over the young man, leaving lasting consequences”.
This film is his opportunity to speak out, albeit through an actor. Like victims of rape, it can only help when victims speak up, and highlight the shocking abuse they’ve been through.
Martin Clunes’ portrayal of Huw Edwards is shining a light on something that needs addressing. Yes, it’s an uncomfortable watch, but it raises questions that need answering. Sometimes you have to stare down what you don’t like. Huw’s acts were disgusting – an abuse of power. But this is happening, all around us, whether you like it or not.
Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards review: ‘Monsters are everywhere folks’
While many fans have called the drama “too soon”, “rushed”, and have accused the Channel 5 drama of “downplaying the severity”, others have insisted it’s necessary viewing.
One said: “Downplaying? This isn’t downplaying it. This is showing the seriousness of what Huw did!”
Another said: “To those asking if we really need this… Absolutely we do! The story of how the ‘voice of the nation’ turned out to be an absolute monster was one of the most shocking of our times. This drama will give us an insight into exactly what went on.”
Another simply said: “Monsters are everywhere folks.”
Read more: Huw Edwards blasts Channel 5 drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards in rare statement
