Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards | |
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![]() Edwards in 2013 | |
Born | |
Education | Llanelli Boys' Grammar School |
Alma mater | Cardiff University (BA) University of Wales Trinity Saint David (PhD) |
Occupation | Journalist, newsreader, television presenter |
Years active | 1984–present |
Employer | BBC |
Known for | Olympic Games BBC News at Ten BBC News at Six BBC News Channel BBC News at Five Royal Wedding 2011 UK General Election 2015 UK General Election 2017 Royal Wedding 2018 UK General Election 2019 The Funeral of Prince Philip |
Title | Chief Presenter, BBC News |
Spouse(s) | Vicky Flind |
Children | 5 |
Parent(s) | Hywel Teifi Edwards (father) Aerona Protheroe (mother) |
Huw Edwards (/hiːʊ, hjuː/; born 18 August 1961)[1] is a Welsh journalist, presenter, and newsreader. As the BBC News lead presenter for major breaking news in the United Kingdom, Edwards presents BBC News at Ten, the corporation's flagship news broadcast.
He also presents BBC coverage of state events, international events, the hour-long BBC News at Five on the BBC's rolling news channel BBC News and occasionally presents either as relief or as the BBC's chief presenter BBC News at Six, BBC News at One, BBC Weekend News and Daily Politics, as well as on the BBC's international news channel BBC World News. Edwards presented the BBC's coverage of major national events, including the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
He succeeded David Dimbleby as the host of BBC election night coverage and was the lead presenter for the 2019 general election coverage on 12 and 13 December.[2]
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. His father, Hywel Teifi Edwards, was a Plaid Cymru and Welsh Language activist,[3] and an author and academic, who was Research Professor of Welsh-language Literature at University College, Swansea.[4] Edwards' mother, Aerona Protheroe, taught at Llanelli's Ysgol Gyfun y Strade for 30 years. He has one sister, Meinir. He was educated at Llanelli Boys' Grammar School[5] and graduated with a first-class honours degree in French from University College, Cardiff, in 1983.[6] After his first degree, he started postgraduate work at Cardiff University in Medieval French, before becoming a reporter for local radio station Swansea Sound and then joining the BBC.[7]
Career[]
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.[8][9] 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, this 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. 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 2007 National Assembly for Wales election 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 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[10] and the team won a BAFTA Award for Best Coverage of a Live Event.[11][12] In June 2012 he presented the BBC coverage of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[13] 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. In 2014 Edwards presented BBC Local Elections taking over coverage from David Dimbleby.
Edwards shared the BBC's 2015 general election and 2016 EU referendum coverage with Dimbleby.[citation needed] In May 2018 he shared the presentation of the BBC coverage of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.[14] In April 2021, he presented the rolling coverage across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC News Channel and BBC World News following the Death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as well as funeral coverage on the 17 April.[15]
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.[16] 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.[17]
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.[18][19]
In 2010 Edwards presented a programme titled The Prince and the Plotter about the Investiture of the Prince of Wales, and the part played by Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, receiving the "Best on Screen presenter" at the BAFTA Cymru Awards for his work.[20]
In February 2012 he launched a new historical documentary series made by BBC Wales, entitled .[21] 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.[22]
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.[23]
In December 2018 Edwards was a guest of Mary Berry in BBC One's Mary Berry's Christmas Party.[24]
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 , 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.[25][26]
In 2003 Edwards was made a Fellow of the University of Wales and in 2007 became Honorary Professor of Journalism at Cardiff University.[27] 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.[28] In April 2009 he was elected Vice President of Cardiff University. He is a former honorary President of London's Gwalia Male Choir and is a vice president of the National Churches Trust.[29]
Edwards has been highly critical of some England-based newspapers for printing stories dismissive of the use of the Welsh language. In 2020 he responded to comments in The Times written by scientist Michael Pepper in which it was suggested that his late colleague John Meurig Thomas wrote notes in Welsh purely to stop others from reading them; Edwards pointed out that Welsh speakers do not "use our native language in our daily lives simply to thwart others".[30] In 2021 he criticised former journalist Max Hastings for claiming that the Welsh language was of "marginal value" and that Wales could not succeed as an independent country because it was "dependent on English largesse".[31]
On 5 July 2019 Edwards was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.[32]
Salary[]
He earned £550,000 – £599,999 as a BBC presenter for several years. His salary has been reduced, voluntarily, in light of serious gender pay differences found within the BBC.[33] Press Gazette announced his new salary to be £520,000 – £529,999 as of July 2018.[1] His salary was further reduced in 2019, with his current salary as of May 2021 now to be £465,000.[34]
Personal life[]
Edwards is married to Vicky Flind, a BBC producer, whose credits include editing This Week.[35] The couple live in Dulwich, London, with their five children: Dan, Amos, Hannah, Rebecca and Sammy.[35][36] Edwards is an active Christian and is a weekly churchgoer.[37] Edwards was awarded a PhD, on "The History of Welsh Chapels in the 18th Century", by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in 2018.[38]
Awards[]
Year | Award | Representative work | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | BAFTA Cymru | Best Onscreen Presenter | Won | |
2002 | Best Onscreen Presenter[39] | Won | ||
2003 | Best Onscreen Presenter[16] | The Exchange | Won | |
2004 | Best Onscreen Presenter[40] | The Story of Welsh | Won | |
2005 | Best Onscreen Presenter[17] | Won | ||
2010 | Best Onscreen Presenter[20] | The Prince and the Plotter | Won | |
2012 | Best Onscreen Presenter[41] | Llanelli Riots - Fire in the West | Nominated |
Bibliography[]
- 2014, City Mission - the Story of London's Welsh Chapels, Y Lolfa Cyf, ISBN 1847719058
- 2009, Capeli Llanelli: Our Rich Heritage, Carmarthenshire County Council, ISBN 0906821789
- 2014, City Mission: The Story of London's Welsh Chapels, ISBN 1784611743
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "EDWARDS, Huw". Who's Who 2016 online edition. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ "General Election 2019: Huw Edwards to lead BBC coverage". BBC News.
- ^ Rees, D. Ben (26 January 2010). "Hywel Teifi Edwards obituary". The Guardian.
- ^ "Hywel Teifi Edwards dies aged 75". BBC News. 5 January 2010.
- ^ Williamson, Nigel (24 December 1999). "My Best Teacher - Interview: Huw Edwards". Times Educational Supplement.
- ^ "South West Wales - Hall of Fame". BBC. Archived from the original on 23 April 2003.
- ^ "Simon Hattenstone talks to Huw Edwards". the Guardian. 20 January 2003. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Neil Prior (30 September 2014). "Swansea Sound in tune with radio listeners for 40 years". BBC. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ James Robson (19 December 2010). "Huw Edwards: The country's new master of ceremonies". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ "Royal Wedding BBC Viewing Figures". bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Television Awards Winners in 2012". bafta.org.
- ^ Robinson, James (19 December 2010). "Huw Edwards: The country's master of ceremonies". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "BBC - Huw Edwards to lead BBC's live coverage over Diamond Jubilee weekend - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Highlights of the Day, The Royal Wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - BBC One". BBC.
- ^ "HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - BBC One". BBC.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Court drama scoops awards". BBC. 27 April 2003.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Ifans clinches Bafta 'Grand Slam'". BBC. 24 April 2005.
- ^ "BBC Wales rapped for bias over Thatcher programme. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com.
- ^ "Editorial Standards Findings". BBC. September 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Press Office - BBC Cymru Wales takes 11 top honours at BAFTA Cymru Awards". BBC. 24 May 2010.
- ^ "BBC - Wales History: Huw Edwards on retelling the story of Wales".
- ^ "Skyfall (2012) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ BBC - "BBC Wales celebrates Patagonia landmark". Accessed 2 June 2015
- ^ "Mary Berry's Christmas Party - 2018". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Huw's full of beans at Welsh coffee shop honouring father". Thisissouthwales.co.uk.
- ^ "Eisteddfod chair dedicates poem to Welsh language great". walesonline.
- ^ "Honorary Professorship". Cardiff University. Retrieved 25 July 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Our Former Presidents: London Welsh Centre". London Welsh Centre website. London Welsh Centre. 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ "Huw Edwards appointed as a Vice-President". nationalchurchestrust.org.
- ^ "Huw Edwards slams Times for comments about eminent chemist's use of the Welsh language". Nation Cymru. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "Huw Edwards slams former Telegraph editor for anti-Welsh language article". Nation Cymru. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "Graduation 2019". Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Weaver, Matthew (19 July 2017). "BBC accused of discrimination as salaries reveal gender pay gap - as it happened". The Guardian.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54160658
- ^ Jump up to: a b James Robinson (19 December 2010). "Huw Edwards: The country's new master of ceremonies". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ "Mr Huw Edwards". Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies website. Cardiff University. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ "Huw Edwards in fight to save Welsh church in London". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ UWTSD, Web Development Team -. "Press Releases 2018 - University of Wales Trinity Saint David". www.uwtsd.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "MacArthur voyage earns Welsh Baftas". BBC. 25 May 2002.
- ^ "Bafta winners celebrate awards". BBC. 24 April 2004.
- ^ "British Academy Cymru Awards Winners in 2012". BAFTA Cymru. 7 September 2012.
External links[]
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News items[]
- 1961 births
- Living people
- People from Bridgend
- Alumni of Cardiff University
- Welsh television journalists
- BBC newsreaders and journalists
- Classical music radio presenters
- People educated at Llanelli Boys' Grammar School
- BBC television presenters
- BBC radio presenters
- BBC World News
- Welsh-speaking journalists