The mother of the teenager who says he was groomed by disgraced former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has condemned Channel 4's reported plans to broadcast a documentary allowing him to present his version of events.
Speaking to The Sun, she expressed her outrage at the broadcaster's decision to offer a platform to the convicted sex offender.
"It's absolutely disgusting Channel 4 has given a convicted paedophile a platform. I don't understand what he has to say or what his side of the story really is," she said.
"Who wants to hear that? And why would they agree to it? Whatever he says there's no excuse for how he behaved haven't we been through enough?"
Huw Edwards received a suspended sentence in 2024 | PAThe proposed programme would reportedly allow the 64-year-old to address his downfall following his conviction for possessing indecent images of children.
Edwards received a suspended prison sentence in 2024 after admitting to receiving and making indecent images of children.
Among the material were Category A images – the most serious classification – depicting a child aged between seven and nine.
The former News At Ten presenter was also accused of grooming a vulnerable young man whom he first contacted when the teenager was just 17 and still at school.
Huw Edwards worked at the BBC for 40 years | GETTYEdwards was said to have transferred tens of thousands of pounds to the youth in exchange for explicit photographs and videos.
Police investigated the grooming allegations but found no evidence of criminal behaviour in that particular case.
The investigation was discontinued with no charges being brought. Edwards always disputed the principal allegations made by the Sun in July 2023 and described a Channel 5 documentary as containing "misleading or fabricated claims."
Prior to his dismissal, Edwards had been among the BBC's highest-paid presenters, having fronted the corporation's flagship evening news programme for decades.
The teenager's stepfather has also spoken out against Edwards' apparent attempts to rehabilitate his public image.
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Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children | PAResponding to a black and white headshot the former presenter posted on social media in December, which many interpreted as a bid to return to television, he was unequivocal in his condemnation.
"If he thinks he can just put up a picture of himself and it's going to change the way people think about him, he's wrong. He's scum," he told The Sun.
"You can paint over cracks but you can never hide them. He's finished, he's a paedophile. Any time he raises his head it is an insult to his victims. He needs to realise this is it and disappear."
Television industry figures have warned that Channel 4 faces significant viewer backlash should it proceed with what one producer described as a "tawdry" project.
Huw Edwards updated his Facebook profile picture in December
| FACEBOOKStephen D Wright, who worked on boundary-pushing Channel 4 programmes including The Word, said there was "no audience appetite whatsoever" for such a film.
"No one wants to hear from Huw Edwards or any convicted sex offenders," he stated.
Industry insiders have suggested the timing is particularly problematic given Channel 4's current difficulties over rape allegations connected to Married at First Sight (MAFS). The men allegedly involved deny the allegations.
One television executive noted that advertisers would be reluctant to associate themselves with a documentary featuring a convicted paedophile, pointing out that the broadcaster had already lost sponsor Tui over the MAFS controversy.
Some viewers have threatened to boycott the channel entirely if the Edwards programme goes ahead.
GB News has contacted Channel 4 for a comment on the reports.