Huw Edwards (journalist)

Early life and education

Edwards was born in Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales, into a Welsh-speaking family, and, from the age of four, was brought up in Llangennech, near Llanelli. He was educated at Llanelli Boys' Grammar School and graduated with a first-class honours degree in French from University College, Cardiff, in 1983. His father, Hywel Teifi Edwards, was a Plaid Cymru and Welsh Language activist , an author and academic, who was Research Professor of Welsh-language Literature at the University College, Swansea. His mother, Aerona Protheroe, taught at Llanelli's Ysgol Gyfun y Strade for 30 years. After his first degree, he started postgraduate work at Cardiff University in Medieval French before joining the BBC.

BBC News

Edwards spent a short time on work experience at the commercial radio station Swansea Sound, before joining the BBC as a news trainee in 1984. In 1986 he became Parliamentary Correspondent for BBC Wales.

Between May 1999 and January 2003, Edwards presented the BBC Six O'Clock News. During this period, the Six O'Clock News was the most watched news programme in Britain.

In January 2003, he became the main presenter of the Ten O'Clock News on BBC One, considered the corporation's flagship news broadcast. BBC News at Ten has since gone on to become the most watched news programme in Britain. Along with David Dimbleby, he also presents various special programmes such as the Festival of Remembrance, Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament. He led the BBC commentary team at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games. He has presented several election specials, including coverage of the National Assembly for Wales election, 2007 for BBC Wales and also the BBC coverage of the United States elections, 2008 results and the inauguration of Barack Obama. He was formerly Chief Political Correspondent for BBC News, and spent more than 14 years reporting politics from Westminster across a range of BBC programmes.

He has also presented or contributed to a range of other BBC News programmes, including Breakfast News, One O'Clock News, Newsnight and Panorama. Since April 2006, Edwards has presented the newly established BBC News at Five O'Clock on the 24-hour BBC News channel. On 29 April 2011 he presented the BBC coverage of the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The coverage was watched by 20 million viewers at peak in the United Kingdom and the team won a BAFTA Award for Best Coverage of a Live Event. In June 2012 he presented the BBC coverage of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. In December 2013 he led the first few hours of BBC News coverage of the death of Nelson Mandela on BBC One, BBC News Channel and BBC World News.

Edwards shared the BBC UK General Election 2015 and the 2016 EU Referendum coverage with David Dimbleby.

Other programming and appearances

Although predominantly a news journalist, Edwards has presented a wide range of programming on television and radio, including documentaries on classical music, religion and the Welsh language, of which he is a native speaker, and hosted various events such as the BAFTA Cymru award ceremonies. He has a particular interest in history and has presented documentaries on many historical subjects, including Owain Glyndŵr, the South Wales Valleys, Gladstone and Disraeli and a series following the work of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.

He presented Bread of Heaven with Huw Edwards, a documentary about the impact of religion in Wales which won the 2005 BAFTA Cymru for best documentary and nominations in four other categories. He has also appeared as himself in cameo in the television series Absolute Power and in a 2006 episode of Doctor Who, fronting coverage of a fictionalised Summer Olympics.

In September 2008, the BBC Trust ruled that a documentary presented by Edwards on the subject of Welsh politics had broken the organisation's editorial guidelines. The programme, entitled Wales: Power and the People - Back to the Future, addressed the topic of the Welsh Assembly, with Edwards stating, "to achieve its full potential it needs even greater support for the people of Wales than it’s received so far ... the more people that take part, the stronger and healthier our democracy in Wales will be." Following a complaint, the governing body concluded that Edwards' words were not objective and even-handed on the subject stating' "it is not the role of BBC presenters to encourage audiences to exercise their right to vote on particular occasions." It was also found that the documentary as a whole was biased against the Conservative Party.

In 2010 Edwards presented a programme titled The Prince and the Plotter about the investiture of the Prince of Wales, receiving the "Best on Screen presenter" at the BAFTA Cymru Awards for his work.

In February 2012 he launched a new historical documentary series made by BBC Wales, entitled The Story of Wales. Also in 2012, Edwards appeared as himself in a cameo role in the 23rd James Bond film Skyfall, presenting a BBC News report on a fictionalised attack on the British intelligence service MI6.

In 2015 he presented a history of the Welsh colony in Patagonia—in English and Welsh versions—to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the colony's establishment.

Other activities

In March 2011 Edwards opened Swansea University's "Hoffi Coffi" cafe in the library created to support the aims of Academi Hywel Teifi, named after his father who spent his academic career at the university. He gave a speech in Welsh as he unveiled a wall mural of a poem by Tudur Hallam, Professor of Welsh at the university and chair of the previous year's Eisteddfod, saying it was a moving tribute to his father, who had died in January 2010.

In 2003 Edwards was made a Fellow of the University of Wales and in 2007 became Honorary Professor of Journalism at Cardiff University. In April 2009 he was elected Vice-President of Cardiff University.

In 2005 he was appointed Patron of the National College of Music and in October 2008 he was appointed President of the London Welsh Trust which runs the London Welsh Centre.

Edwards is a former honorary President of London's Gwalia Male Choir.

Edwards has written two books: Capeli Llanelli: Our Rich Heritage (2009) and City Mission: the Story of London's Welsh Chapels (2014).

Edwards is Vice-President of the National Churches Trust.

Personal life

Edwards is married to Vicky Flind, a BBC producer, whose credits include editing This Week. The couple live in Dulwich, London, with their five children.

Books