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Martin Clunes to Play Huw Edwards in Channel 5 Drama

Published 7 January 2026

Martin Clunes, best known for his role in Doc Martin, will portray disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards in a new two-part drama series commissioned by Channel 5, now rebranded as 5. The production, with the working title Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, marks the first collaboration between the channel's factual and scripted commissioning teams and is scheduled to air in the coming months.

The series draws on extensive research, including firsthand interviews with key individuals involved in the scandal and exclusive access to the investigative reporting that first exposed it. Directed by Michael Samuels, whose previous credits include The Windermere Children and The Trial, and written by Mark Burt, known for his work on Coronation Street, the drama aims to provide a nuanced account of Edwards' double life and the events leading to his public disgrace. A first-look image released by 5 shows Clunes in character, depicting the newsreader in a setting that evokes his professional prominence.

Edwards, 64, was one of the BBC's highest-paid journalists and a fixture on British television for decades. He anchored the News at Ten program and delivered major national...

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