BBC Considers Replacing Huw Edwards On Election Night Show As Presenter Remains Suspended
06.09.2023 - 10:25
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is actively weighing up whether it should replace Huw Edwards as the anchor of its flagship election night show amid continued uncertainty over the presenter’s future.
Edwards has been suspended since July as the BBC investigates his conduct following allegations in The Sun newspaper that he paid a young person for sexually explicit images.
Deadline understands that the BBC is in the early stages of planning for a significant UK general election, which could usher in a new government after 13 years of Conservative rule.
The election is expected to take place next year, though Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could call an early vote, meaning senior BBC executives are giving thought to who should anchor its output.
Edwards, who earns up to £440,000 ($550,000), presented 2019’s election night coverage and signed a new deal with the BBC earlier this year which would have guaranteed his place as master of ceremony in 2024.
But there is a widely-held view at the BBC that it will be difficult to restore Edwards given the allegations against him, including questions over some of his interactions with junior colleagues.
Election night takes months of planning and there is a feeling that it would be wise to consider other options, even if Edwards has not been fully ruled out.
“It’d be a bit odd if we hadn’t thought about the election by now — and whether we like it or not, Huw is medically unfit to work,” said a senior BBC source.
Senior presenters are yet to be told if they are under consideration, but speculation is already mounting internally as to who might be the best candidate to host the all-night output.
A person familiar with the BBC’s thinking said there was not an obvious successor to Edwards and the