The BBC‘s former royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell has attacked ex-colleague Huw Edwards, saying if the disgraced presenter had a ‘shred of decency’ he would repay the corporation what he earned after he was arrested.
Witchell, 70, who was on air alongside Edwards on the day of the Queen’s death said the Welsh presenter had been ‘dishonourable’ and ‘shabby’ in the way he had dealt with the BBC.
In an excoriating attack on Edwards, who he had regarded as a friend, the royal journalist said the presenter should have resigned immediately from the BBC when he was arrested last November.
He added that the disgraced star had put the broadcaster in an ‘impossible position’ as it tried to provide its ‘duty of care’ to him.
The BBC’s former royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell hit out at his ex-colleague, saying if Huw Edwards (pictured) had a ‘shred of decency’ he would repay the corporation
Witchell, (above), who was on air alongside Edwards on the day of the Queen’s death said the Welsh presenter had been ‘dishonourable’ and ‘shabby’ in the way he had dealt with the BBC
Huw Edwards is pictured leaving the court in London on Wednesday morning
Friends of the ex-BBC News host said he kept his arrest ‘a secret’ and that they were stunned when news he had been charged was revealed this week (he is pictured reading the news)
It has been revealed that the BBC continued to pay the former News at Ten presenter for a further five months after he has been arrested.
This comes after Edwards pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing indecent images of children, including one as young as seven.
Witchell said his former colleague’s behaviour was ‘utterly deplorable’ and that he should hand back the more than £200,000 he is thought to have earned following his arrest.
Speaking exclusively to Mail Online he said Edwards would have known ‘the game was up’ when he was arrested.
He said: ‘I was sat beside him during the many hours we broadcast on the day of the late Queen’s death and spoke warmly in his praise.
‘I regarded him as a friend and expressed sympathy for him in July of last year. I now think his behaviour is utterly deplorable.
Edwards remained silent as he left the court building surrounded by the press
Edwards was flanked by police officers when he turned up for his court hearing on Wednesday
Protesters stood outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court holding placards yesterday
‘The very least he should have done last November when he was arrested is immediately to have resigned from the BBC.’
Witchell added: ‘He would have known then that the game was up.
‘Instead he put the BBC in an impossible position as it tried to discharge its duty of care towards him.
‘The very least he should do now, if he has a shred of decency, is to repay the money the BBC has paid him since his arrest.
‘The BBC has tried to be honourable in the way it has handled this. He has been dishonourable and shabby in his response in my view.’
The BBC has been under fire over the way it decided to keep paying his huge licence-fee funded salary until he resigned in April this year.
Yesterday the corporation said it had been ‘made aware in confidence’ that he had been arrested in November on ‘suspicion of serious offences’.
But the corporation defended its actions, saying had he been charged while he was still employed there, rather than after he resigned, it would have acted ‘immediately’ to ‘dismiss him’.
He had already been suspended from the corporation in July last year over a separate complaint he had paid a young man for sexually explicit pictures.
Just days ago, the BBC revealed that Edwards was its best paid news presenter last year, even though he had been off air for about nine months.
He was paid up to £479,999 in the 12 months to the end of March and was also given a pay rise of about £40,000 in the year, making him the third highest paid star at the corporation behind Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball.
There are now questions about whether the BBC would seek to recoup some of the presenter’s pay from last year or whether he would volunteer to do so.
A BBC source said the corporation would look into clawing it back but there may not be a legal basis to do so. The pay rise predated his suspension last July and had come off the back of his highly praised work on coverage of the Queen’s death.
The BBC in its statement yesterday said: ‘In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer at the time was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation.
‘At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health.’ It continued: ‘Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court.
‘If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC.’
It added: ‘We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to hold an urgent meeting with the director-general today.
