British MPs have called for a review into an alleged culture of sleaze and cover-up at the BBC in the wake of veteran news anchor Huw Edwards being outed as paying a then 17-year-old for sexually explicit pictures.
Edwards, who has worked for the BBC since 1984 and is one of the broadcaster’s highest-paid stars, was hospitalised on mental health grounds after his wife named him as the individual at the centre of the allegations.
The scandal took almost a week to fully break after the British tabloid press first began reporting on rumours that a senior BBC star was embroiled in a sex scandal leading to speculation on social media and a debate over UK privacy laws.
Both London Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police confirmed Wednesday that they were not investigating any criminal wrongdoing relating to the matter with the teenager in question over the UK’s official age of consent of 16. Initial reporting in The Sun detailed how Edwards allegedly gave thousands to the teen boy for sexual content while the teenager was suffering from a crippling drug addiction.
The BCC has faced lingering suspicion about protecting high-profile abusers following the Jimmy Saville affair in 2011 when the BBC children’s presenter was revealed to have molested potentially thousands of children with the broadcaster’s complicity.
“Once again the BBC finds itself mired in scandal, sleaze and cover-up. So can we have a debate on the BBC?” Reclaim Party MP Andrew Bridgen said in the House of Commons, saying that the BBC has not learnt the proper lessons since the Saville scandal.
Edwards was suspended by the BBC shortly before the revelations were made public and is still facing an internal investigation from the broadcaster despite no criminal charges being brought against him. Shortly after confirmation of Edwards’ involvement in the scandal, additional accusations began circulating about abusive messages to BBC junior staff members.
The saga has ignited a war of words in the British Press with many in the UK media accusing The Sun, the Murdoch-owned tabloid that first aired the allegations of playing to sensationalism and not prioritising Edwards or the teenager in question. Some contend that current British privacy law is overbearing and increasingly pointless in an era of social media while others blame The Sun for playing fast and loose with the personal lives of its news subjects.
This is the second scandal that has rattled the BBC over the past six months after the deplatforming of sports pundit Gary Lineker over comments questioning British asylum policy.
