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Huw Edwards is ‘very angry’ and unimpressed by the BBC’s coverage of claims he paid a teenager for lewd pictures and was improper with colleagues, Jon Sopel said today, insisting there is no evidence the star has broken the law or abused his position.
Mr Sopel, a former colleague and friend of more than three decades, has pointed the finger at the corporation and accused its reporters of enthusiastically digging into the ‘messy’ private life of the married father-of-five.
Mr Sopel said today he has not spoken with Mr Edwards since he was admitted to hospital. But he said he had contact with him after the scandal broke in The Sun on Thursday night. He has accused the BBC of taking the lead in a ‘feeding frenzy’ that followed.
He said: ‘We have had contact, not since he has hospitalised. He was very angry and felt very let down by The Sun, furious with their coverage and not overly impressed with the BBC’s coverage either’.
Mr Sopel, who left the BBC last year, claims there are people at ‘BBC news that need to have a long hard look in the mirror over the coverage and over the alacrity with which they have gone into someone’s private life’, adding: ‘What has it got to do with anybody?
‘The Sun said it was not going to reveal anything more and then you hear on BBC News: “We’ve got fresh allegations that he approached people in a flirtatious or inappropriate way” and you think woah, the guy’s in hospital’, he said.
Jon Sopel says his friend Huw Edwards is ‘very angry’ about coverage of allegations he paid for explicit photos
Huw Edwards was last seen on the screen on July 5 when he covered King Charles’ visit to Scotland, he was taken off air on July 6 and then suspended days later.
Mr Edwards is receiving mental health treatment and faces an internal investigation as BBC News, Radio 4 and Newsnight reporters uncovered more claims about his behaviour, alleging ‘inappropriate behaviour towards BBC employees past and present’.
One colleague told the national broadcaster last night that he was sending flirtatious messages that made them ‘shudder’ and constituted an ‘abuse of power’.
Mr Sopel said: ‘It is not clear what the issue is other than that his private life is a bit messy.
‘Anyone who knows him is just wishing him well. Huw, I have known for over three decades when we were young political correspondents.
‘He is incredibly funny. As an acid wit. He is a complicated person to deal with, if you enter his orbit he is very defensive of his own territory, so I wouldn’t say we’re close friends but I’d say some of the coverage about his private life… that some might find a little distasteful, I don’t see what it has to do with anybody else.
‘There is no question of illegality, as things stand now, and no abuse of power as far as I can see, so what has it got to do with anybody?’
The BBC is in crisis today with Huw Edwards in hospital and its handling of the scandal branded a ‘total mess’ as its own journalists spearheaded coverage of new allegations the star was improper with multiple colleagues.
The presenter faces an internal investigation as BBC News, Radio 4 and Newsnight reporters uncovered more claims about his behaviour, alleging ‘inappropriate behaviour towards BBC employees past and present’.
One colleague told the national broadcaster last night that he was sending flirtatious messages that made them ‘shudder’ and constituted an ‘abuse of power’.
The corporation faces serious questions about how much it knew about claims that the broadcaster, 61, was sending flirtatious messages to junior staff and young people outside the organisation. They have also been accused of being ‘too slow’ to react having taken seven weeks to confront him with claims he paid £35,000 to a teenage drug addict for sexually explicit photographs.
The Director General Tim Davie says he was not told until last week – and has not spoken to Mr Edwards, one of his highest paid stars.
There is also open warfare at the BBC after Jeremy Vine urged him to reveal himself to save others being wrongly accused on social media and limit the damage to the BBC. Former BBC stalwart Jon Sopel then urged him to ‘shut the f*** up’ as other stars including Richard Bacon piled in.
Today Mr Edwards is in hospital receiving treatment for a ‘serious episode’ of depression after his wife last night named him as the BBC presenter at the centre of the scandal. Scotland Yard and South Wales Police has announced it had dropped its probe into the allegations, saying there was no evidence of any crime.
Vicky Flind said her husband, who was last on screen on July 5 during the King’s visit to Scotland, was ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’ and is ‘now receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future’.
Huw Edwards faces fresh allegations of inappropriate behaviour from his own BBC colleagues, with one claiming ‘ they felt it was an abuse of power’
It comes hours after the BBC Anchor was named by his wife Vicky Flind as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images
There has been growing speculation last night that her will never return to the BBC – although he has not resigned – as the corporation started up its investigation into the news anchor after police said he had committed no crimes.
Since The Sun broke the story on allegations that Edwards paid a vulnerable teenager £35,000 for explicit photos, BBC News and Newsnight journalists have uncovered at least six past and present staff who have complained about his behaviour.
PR guru Mark Borkowski told MailOnline: ‘It’s a total mess. One hopes the BBC have done the right thing if not their defence will be shaky and heads will roll. I hope they have learnt from Saville and of course Cliff Richard’.
Mr Edwards’ former colleague and friend John Sergeant declared last night: ‘This isn’t the Huw I know’, but added that the BBC does not appear to have handled it properly and should have moved quicker given it took bosses seven weeks to confront him with very serious allegations that he paid £35,000 to a teenage drug addict for lewd snaps.
Stars rallied around the newsman and voice of the nation who was said to be ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’.
In a bombshell statement, Vicky Flind named her husband to end speculation as to the identity of the BBC star accused of paying £35,000 to a teenage drug addict for sexually explicit photographs.
Her words came just minutes after Scotland Yard announced it had dropped its probe into the allegations, saying there was no evidence of any crime. South Wales Police later issued a similar statement.
Mr Edwards, 61, hailed for his faultless announcement of the Queen’s death last year and coverage of the King’s Coronation, has previously suffered from ‘severe depression’, and had had ‘another serious episode’. He would stay in hospital ‘for the foreseeable future’, Ms Flind said.
However, the presenter still faces an internal BBC investigation and the corporation made further claims about his behaviour last night, alleging ‘inappropriate behaviour towards BBC employees past and present’.
A fevered national guessing game had dominated social media for five days as a torrent of lewd claims were made public. Yesterday a snap poll for the Mail suggested one in three people could correctly identify the presenter, making a mockery of UK privacy laws.
Since The Sun’s original story, it is the BBC who have led the way with more allegations.
Huw Edwards allegedly sent ‘inappropriate and flirtatious’ messages to BBC colleagues, it has been revealed, as the corporation urged staff with ‘any concerns’ to come forward.
A current employee said they were left with a ‘cold shudder’ after receiving messages about their appearance, while an ex-staff member claimed ‘late night’ texts which included ‘kisses’ constituted an ‘abuse of power’ by the newsreader.
Junior staff members told the BBC last night that the presenter, 61, had sent ‘inappropriate messages’ to them – but also confirmed that they had not previously officially complained to the corporation.
It comes after Edwards’ wife, Vicky Flind, revealed him as being the presenter accused of paying £35,000 to a ‘vulnerable’ teenager in return for explicit photographs.
The Met Police confirmed it was no longer investigating the allegations against the seasoned BBC anchor as a ‘criminal offence’, shortly before she revealed his identity.
Speculation around the name of the presenter implicated in the allegations has been swirling since last week, and now it has been revealed as Edwards, stars have described the ‘shock’ gripping the corporation.
One senior figure at BBC News reportedly said: ‘There was a huge amount of shock that after so many days it all happened so suddenly. People are really upset and shaken.’
In the hours that followed, the three BBC employees – two who currently work at the broadcaster and one ex-staffer – came forward with claims.
BBC Newsnight host Victoria Derbyshire said she spoke to one person who previously worked at the organisation.
‘This person told me they had never met the newsreader, this person said that they had received late night messages on social media including kisses from Huw Edwards, which they said they believed was an abuse of power.’
The presenter said her colleague had spoken to someone who still works at the corporation, ‘who told us that the presenter had sent them a message on social media commenting on their physical appearance, which gave them a ‘cold shudder’.
BBC News Special Correspondent Lucy Manning said: ‘There are questions for BBC bosses about the culture in the newsroom and the way that complaints can be raised and the way people feel comfortable or not to raise them.’
Just minutes after his wife revealed his identity, the BBC reported that colleagues within the organisation had come forward with allegations claiming that the presenter had sent ‘inappropriate messages to them’
Two out of the three people said they felt they couldn’t report what they felt was innappropriate behaviour to BBC managers, the journalist said.
She said of her source: ‘This is someone who is very loyal to the BBC and they believe it is not just a problem for the BBC but across the whole industry.
She added: ‘The BBC responded tonight saying it is encouraging staff to come forward if they have concerns’.
The developments come after an extraordinary five days of speculation – which started when The Sun newspaper accused the presenter of sending cash to a teenager in return for sexual photographs.
Lucy Manning, special correspondent, revealed during her report for the News at Ten: ‘It’s been a very difficult day here in the BBC newsroom, some of the things we have had to report have been hard to hear.
‘The police have found no evidence of criminality but there is still a lot for the BBC to grapple with.’
She earlier reported: ‘A current BBC employee said this year they had received suggestive messages on social media from the presenter.
‘They believe the messages were inappropriate especially as the presenter was a much more senior colleague.
‘BBC News has seen the messages which refer to the BBC staff member’s appearance and they are flirtatious.
‘The BBC employee wants managers to be more proactive specifically towards younger staff who work with the presenter and to address who senior and junior members of staff interact.
‘They haven’t yet put in a formal complaint because of a desire to remain anonymous but might consider it.
She added: ‘Another BBC worker and a former one have also told Newsnight they received what they perceived to be more inappropriate social media messages from the presenter that made them feel uncomfortable.
‘One said they felt it was an abuse of power by someone very senior in the organisation. There has been no response from the presenter’s lawyers.’
In relation to the latest assertions, a BBC spokesperson said ‘We are communicating with staff and will continue to do so.
‘We always treat the concerns of staff with care, and would always urge any staff members to speak to us if they have any concerns.
‘We have clear processes for making complaints within the organisation, including whistleblowing procedures should someone wish to do so anonymously.’
The fresh claims come as Ms Flind, who also works in TV, released a lengthy statement about the presenters well-being said the father-of-five is ‘now receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future’ as she asked for privacy for her family, declaring: ‘I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children’.
She added: ‘I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end. Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published’.
Edwards was named after a number of BBC stars including Gary Lineker, Rylan, Nicky Campbell and Jeremy Vine were forced to publicly deny they were the star at the centre of the scandal. Mr Vine had urged his colleague to name themselves to protect colleagues and the BBC. Mr Campbell went to the police to report people who named him online and threatened to sue them.
Ms Flind’s statement was released at 6pm, however, there was confusion as the BBC first said Mr Edwards, who recently led coverage of the Queen’s death and King Charles’ Coronation, had resigned from his role as their top newsreader.
But minutes later the corporation clarified that he had not quit. Sources close to the star have since stressed that he has not left his job.
Ms Flind said: ‘In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family.
The BBC’s top presenter is currently facing four separate allegations
Edwards (pictured working outside Downing Street) was named after a number of BBC stars including Gary Lineker, Rylan, Nicky Campbell and Jeremy Vine were forced to publicly deny they were the star at the centre of the scandal
Junior staff members revealed to the Six O’Clock News that the presenter, 61, had sent ‘inappropriate messages’ to them
‘I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
‘Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
‘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.
‘Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published.’
She said that Mr Edwards was first told of the allegations being made against him last Thursday.
‘In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected’, the presenter’s wife added.
‘I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end.’
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