Timeline of how Huw Edwards scandal unfolded
The former BBC newsreader has pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. He was arrested by Metropolitan Police in November last year.
Thursday 1 August 2024 10:04, UK
Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.
The news anchor - one of the corporation's highest-paid stars - was arrested in November and charged last month.
Last year, in a separate allegation, he was named as the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.
Here is a look at what allegations have been made and when they first came to light.
April 2023: An unnamed police force is contacted by the parents of the 20-year-old at the centre of the photo claims, the BBC reports on 11 July, adding the force said "no criminality was identified".
The force later met the Metropolitan Police and the BBC and "as a result of recent developments, further enquiries are ongoing to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence", reports the corporation.
Friday 19 May 2023: The family first make a complaint to the BBC. In the complaint, they reportedly ask the broadcaster to make the man "stop sending the cash".
When the presenter is still on air a month later, the family reportedly becomes frustrated. The BBC confirms in a statement that it "first became aware of a complaint in May".
June 2023: The youth receives a £1,000 payment - allegedly made via PayPal, from the presenter, according to The Sun. Their mother says they "suddenly had this cash" after running out of money.
She says the payment had made it "obvious the BBC hadn't spoken to this man... as they thought he was too important".
She also claims that initially, the "security boss gave us a number that didn't exist".
Thursday 6 July 2023: The BBC receives "new allegations" of a "different nature" - but the broadcaster does not reveal any further details.
Friday 7 July 2023: The Sun's bombshell exclusive is published both online and in print. The paper says the presenter is "a familiar face who is known to millions" and is also paid a six-figure salary by the BBC.
In the interview, the youth's mother claims the presenter requested "performances" and that she had seen bank account statements showing payments totalling more than £35,000 - including one lump sum of £5,000.
Now 20 years of age, the youth had used the presenter's money to fuel a serious drug problem, the mother says.
The BBC responds to the article saying: "We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them."
It says it would "take steps" to investigate further "if we receive information", including "actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation".
Saturday 8 July 2023: Various BBC presenters choose to publicly clear their names after speculation about the identity of the presenter swirls online. Celebrities including Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker, BBC Radio 2 hosts Jeremy Vine and Rylan Clark, and BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell all release separate statements on Twitter.
Clark, who says he is currently in Italy filming for the BBC, says: "Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun - that ain't me babe." Whilst Lineker adds: "Hate to disappoint the haters but it's not me."
Campbell appears to contact the Metropolitan Police after falsely being named online. Sharing screenshots of the police website on social media, he says: "I think it's important to take a stand. There's just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends."
On Saturday evening, The Sun publishes an update to its allegations. It claims the youth's mother had seen images of the presenter sitting on his sofa in his underpants. The picture was reportedly taken during a video call between the pair.
Former home secretary Priti Patel calls for a "full and transparent investigation", calling the BBC "faceless" and an "unaccountable organisation" on social media.
Sunday 9 July 2023: The male presenter is suspended from duties and the BBC contact police over the allegations. In a statement, it says the situation is "complex and fast moving" and the corporation is "working as quickly as possible to establish the facts".
"New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols," a statement says.
Director-general Tim Davie also sends an email to BBC staff, reiterating that it's taking the allegations "incredibly seriously". He says the BBC is in contact with the family referenced in the reports and condemns rumours about "some of our presenting talent". He also says individuals involved are "entitled to privacy".
A spokesperson for the Met Police later says the force had "initial contact" from the BBC but that "no formal referral or allegation has been made".
"We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow," they say.
A number of politicians also speak of their concern over the allegations. Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, says she is concerned the corporation had taken a "very long time" to investigate the claims.
Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor, says the scandal is "deeply concerning".
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer avoids questions about the scandal after being asked about it at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, but confirms she has spoken to Mr Davie about the "deeply concerning allegations".
"He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively," she says on Twitter.
On Sunday evening, The Sun publishes more allegations claiming that the presenter made "panicked" calls to the young person last week when the story broke.
The paper says the presenter allegedly asked "what have you done?", adding that it is claimed he asked them to ring their mother to get her to "stop the investigation".
Monday 10 July 2023: Detectives from the Metropolitan Police have a virtual meeting with BBC representatives over the allegations.
The force later says it is "assessing information" supplied by the broadcaster and is carrying out further enquiries to establish whether any crime has been committed.
But the Met has not yet launched an investigation.
A lawyer for the alleged victim reportedly says in a letter to the BBC that the mother's claims are "rubbish" and "nothing inappropriate or unlawful" took place between the young person and the presenter.
The young person had sent a denial to the newspaper on Friday evening, saying there was "no truth to it", according to the letter.
However, the "inappropriate article" was still published, the lawyer tells the corporation.
After the BBC publishes the letter, the mother tells The Sun: "It is sad but we stand by our account and we hope they get the help they need."
The young person's stepfather reportedly adds: "We are disappointed they made a statement. It's not true."
The stepfather also claims the BBC ignored emails sent on 19 May which allegedly included bank statements showing payments made by the presenter.
Tuesday 11 July 2023: The BBC is asked to pause its internal investigation into the photo allegations "while the police scope future work" following a meeting with the Metropolitan Police.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports the presenter sent threatening messages to a young person in their early 20s, who has no connection to the person at the centre of The Sun's story.
The star met the young person on a dating app before their conversations moved to other platforms, according to the corporation.
He then revealed his identity and asked the young person not to tell anyone, BBC News reports.
The young person later posted online alluding to having had contact with the presenter and hinted they might name him.
The star then allegedly sent a number of "threatening messages", which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the presenter.
The corporation says the young person felt "threatened" by the messages and "remains scared".
More claims about the presenter emerge after another two people come forward to The Sun.
The newspaper says the presenter allegedly travelled by train from London to meet a 23-year-old at their flat in February 2021 when the country was in a third lockdown.
The Sun says it had seen messages suggesting the star visited the person's home, sent cash and asked for a picture - and was sent a semi-naked photo.
The person said they first met the presenter in November 2020 on a dating site and the BBC personality travelled across the capital to another county to meet them at their flat for an hour in February 2021.
The Sun also reports that the star allegedly sent messages to a 17-year-old after initiating a conversation on Instagram.
The paper says the messages, which it has published, contain love heart emojis and kisses.
The youth, now aged 22, told The Sun "looking back now it does seem creepy because he was messaging me when I was still at school".
Wednesday 12 July 2023: The Metropolitan Police reveal that detectives have finished their initial assessment into the allegations and have concluded they do not believe a criminal offence has been committed.
Minutes later, Vicky Flind, the wife of news reader Huw Edwards, then names him as the BBC presenter at the centre of the allegations.
In a statement, she says her husband is "suffering from serious mental health issues".
She adds: "The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future."
At 6pm BBC News announces that Edwards has resigned - but then clarifies moments later that this is not the case.
The broadcaster also says that Edwards is facing "yet more allegations of inappropriate behaviour" towards colleagues at the BBC, but does not go into details.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the corporation says: "We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action.
"We're grateful to them for completing this work at speed. The police had previously asked us to pause our fact finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work".
Later, South Wales Police confirm they were contacted in April 2023 "regarding the welfare of an adult" but "no criminality was identified".
The force adds in a statement that subsequent enquiries have also found "no evidence that any criminal offences have been committed" and says detectives are not taking any further action.
Tuesday 27 February: The BBC apologises to the family of the young person at the centre of the initial allegations.
The corporation had faced accusations from the family that it had not responded quickly enough to their complaints.
A review of the BBC's non-editorial complaints policies and processes found there was a need for "greater consistency" in how complaints were processed.
Monday 22 April: Edwards resigns from the BBC "on medical advice".
A BBC spokesperson says: "Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC. After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors.
"The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don't believe it appropriate to comment further."
Monday 29 July: The Metropolitan Police says Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children.
The alleged offences took place between December 2020 and April 2022 and relate to images shared in a WhatsApp chat, according to the force.
Police confirm he was arrested on Wednesday 8 November 2023 and charged on Wednesday 26 June.
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Wednesday 31 July: Edwards pleads guilty to making indecent images of children.
He admits committing three offences between December 2020 and August 2021.
Edwards had 41 photographs - seven category A images, 12 category B pictures, and 22 category C - on the messaging app WhatsApp.
The court hears that Edwards had been involved in an online chat with an adult man on WhatsApp between December 2020 and April 2022.
The man sent Edwards 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy.
Lawyers for Edwards say there is no suggestion his client had made or created any of the images and that they were only on his WhatsApp.
He is expected to be sentenced on 16 September.
After the court hearing, the BBC releases a statement, and it emerges the corporation knew of Edwards' arrest in November, but continued employing him until April. The corporation says had he been charged while employed by the BBC, it would have acted "immediately to dismiss him".
The Metropolitan Police names the subject of the original investigation as convicted paedophile Alex Williams, 25, from Merthyr Tydfil in Wales.