By Chris Hastings for The Mail on Sunday Published: 20:57 EDT, 21 September 2024 | Updated: 21:27 EDT, 21 September 2024
The BBC has been criticised for including disgraced presenter Huw Edwards in a flagship documentary series.The 63-year-old’s voice can clearly be heard in a new three-part documentary series which charts the life of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.It comes after director general Tim Davie said it was unlikely that archive BBC footage featuring Edwards would be used in future, although he ruled out a blanket ban.Episode two of The Zelensky Story, which charts events leading up to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, highlights Russia’s claims to territory, including the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.It features an audio clip of Edwards reading the news and saying: ‘The two regions in question are Donetsk and Luhansk and diplomats warn that recognising these as independent states would give Russia the justification it wants to send in troops.’ Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 16 BBC director-general Tim Davie said it was unlikely that archive BBC footage featuring Edwards would be used in future, although he ruled out a blanket banThe clip’s inclusion in the BBC2 series has raised eyebrows within the corporation. One insider said: ‘It’s baffling how this slipped through the net.’The producers would have known what happened to Edwards and the series would have been seen by senior BBC executives. Why didn’t they just replace Edwards?’Last week the father of five was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.During an interview at the Royal Television Society last week, Davie said the use of archive footage featuring the presenter would be considered on a case-by-case basis.’There may be a documentary, a contextual piece, where we’re seeing images from people who are no longer working with us (who) have been, frankly, disgraced,’ he said.’That’s how it operates, so we’ll have the editorial control of that. Edwards (sketched in court) pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court after his sentencing to a crowd of protestors The former BBC broadcaster was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children In the second episode of a new three-part BBC documentary series which charts the life of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) an audio clip of Edwards is heard reading the news Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) meets Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) on July 19, 2024I’m not seeing a scenario in which any Huw Edwards material is used in day-to-day programming or anything else.’But I think it’s wrong of a media organisation or the BBC, with its archive, to say you will never see an image of an individual again.’Prior to Edwards’s sentencing, the BBC had started removing content from iPlayer which featured him, including an episode of Doctor Who.A BBC spokesman declined to comment further.
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Thought you’d been banished, Huw… Shamed BBC news anchor features in new flagship Zelensky documentary by the broadcaster