Huw Edwards

His doctoral thesis was titled O Dinopolis i Fetropolis: arolwg o lanw a thrai achosion Ymneilltuol Cymraeg yn Llanelli a Llundain, 1714–2014 ("From Tinopolis to Metropolis: A Survey of the Ebb and Flow of Welsh Dissenting Causes in Llanelli and London, 1714–2014").

Huw Edwards (, ; born 18 August 1961) is a Welsh journalist, presenter and newsreader.

Until his suspension in July 2023, he was the lead presenter of BBC News at Ten, the evening news programme of the BBC.

Edwards has anchored BBC coverage of state and international events, and was occasionally seen as relief or as chief presenter on 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.

He has presented the BBC's coverage of major royal events, including the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees of Elizabeth II, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the funeral of Prince Philip, the death and state funeral of Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

Huw Edwards was born on 18 August 1961 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, and an author and academic, who was research professor of Welsh-language Literature at University College, Swansea.

Edwards's 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.

In 1978 he applied to Hertford College, Oxford, but was rejected.

He graduated with a first-class honours degree in French from University College, Cardiff, in 1983.

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.

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 1994 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, Edwards became the main presenter of the Ten O'Clock News on BBC One, the corporation's flagship news broadcast.

He has also presented various special programmes such as the Festival of Remembrance.

He also presented BBC News at Five, which was broadcast on the BBC News channel from 2006 until 2020.

Since April 2006, Edwards has presented the newly established BBC News at Five on the 24-hour BBC News channel.

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 results of the 2008 United States elections 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.

Edwards has also presented or contributed to a range of other BBC News programmes, including Breakfast News, One O'Clock News, Newsnight and Panorama.

He led the BBC commentary team at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games.

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.

He said, "It's 12 years since I was here to receive an honorary fellowship which was a great day but today is an even bigger day because I am receiving my PhD after 7 agonising years of hard work on the history of the Welsh chapels in the 18th century."

In June 2012 he presented the BBC coverage of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

In May 2013 Edwards took over BBC coverage of local elections from David Dimbleby.

He presented a special news report for the BBC following the death of Nelson Mandela in December 2013.

Edwards shared the BBC's 2015 UK general election coverage with Dimbleby, and contributed to the coverage of the 2016 UK European Union referendum.

In 2018, Edwards was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, with a thesis on Welsh Nonconformist chapels in Llanelli and London, by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

In May 2018, he shared the presentation of the BBC coverage of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

He was the lead presenter for the general election coverage in December 2019.

In July 2023, Edwards was suspended by the BBC following allegations of sexual misconduct made in The Sun.

The South Wales Police and the Metropolitan Police found no evidence of criminal conduct.

Edwards was reported to be in hospital, suffering from depression.

In January 2024 he was reported to be still too unwell to discuss future options for his employment with the BBC.

In 2019 he succeeded David Dimbleby as the host of BBC election night coverage and was the lead presenter for the 2019 UK general election coverage on 12 and 13 December 2019.