BBC considers removing Huw Edwards’s voice from King’s Coronation

The BBC is considering significant changes to its archival footage of royal events, potentially removing disgraced presenter Huw Edwards’s commentary. 

Edwards, who admitted to possessing indecent images of children, has been a central figure in coverage of major state occasions, including the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and King Charles III’s coronation.

Sources suggest that the BBC may re-record expert commentary for these events to provide a new soundtrack, avoiding the use of Edwards’s voice. 

The anchor’s announcement of Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022, which remains on BBC iPlayer, and other footage featuring Edwards are reportedly under review.

Insiders have indicated that footage with Edwards may not be used in future programming, and his documentaries will continue to be banned from iPlayer and terrestrial repeats.

Program makers looking to use footage of significant royal events might need to rely on altered recordings or avoid using original material with Edwards’s commentary. 

However, there could be exceptions for archival content deemed crucial for historical reflection, where the original Edwards material might still be considered relevant for portraying the events as they were reported at the time.

The BBC has started the process of erasing disgraced presenter Huw from its platforms following his admission on July 31 of possessing 41 indecent images of children. 

The removal effort has already affected various content, including an episode of Doctor Who in which Edwards appeared.