Martin Clunes has won unanimous praise for his chillingly accurate portrayal of disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards in a new Channel 5 drama charting his spectacular fall from grace.
Edwards was one of the BBC's highest-paid newsreaders, known for presenting the BBC's News at Ten for decades, delivering some of the biggest stories to the British Public including Queen Elizabeth II's death, before pleading guilty to making indecent images of children in July 2024.
His downfall came after a report by The Sun in July 2023 alleged that a "top BBC Star" had paid a teenager for sexual pictures.
Days later, his wife named him as the presenter at the centre of the scandal and the newsreader resigned in April. He was charged in June 2024, following a Met Police investigation.
Channel 5 drama Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards follows the newsreader, played to a fault by Clunes - better known for lighter roles in TV shows Men Behaving Badly and Doc Martin - and his persistent grooming of a teenage boy.
Taking to social media as the one-off drama aired, viewers heaped praise on the English actor for delivering a pitch-perfect portrayal of the Welsh Edwards.
Martin Clunes has won unanimous praise for his chillingly accurate portrayal of disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards in a new Channel 5 drama charting his spectacular fall from grace
'Martin Clunes is giving a career-defining performance,' shared one. 'A disturbing, but compelling, portrayal of Huw Edwards. Encapsulating a menacing on-screen domineering presence with hugely impressive aesthetics.'
A second added: 'You would never thought Martin Clunes could accurately portray the disgraced newsreader in this programme. [sic]
'To think what Huw Edwards actually did is still shocking. Especially when he had indecent images of young children.'
A third commented: 'Martin Clunes portrayal of this creep is so convincing, great actor.'
Evidently in agreement, a fourth added: 'Martin Clunes is such an underrated actor, he is amazing in any role he does.'
While a fifth raved: 'Martin Clunes is doing an excellent job as Huw Edwards'
Clearly impressed by the drama, another wrote: 'This is BAFTA winning material.'
Elsewhere, Clunes received a mixed response for his attempt at conveying Edwards' distinctive south Wales accent.
'Clunes is very good in this, though he doesn't quite have Edwards' vacant quality,' wrote one.
'Edwards always seemed to be repeating his news scripts phonetically with no idea of what the words meant.'
Announcing plans to develop the show last year, Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer at Channel 5, said: 'This is an important and shocking story of how a man in a position of power and trust betrayed that status.
'By gaining exclusive access to the key individuals involved and those who investigated the story, we explore the human cost behind the headlines.
'As a close collaboration between 5's factual and scripted teams, this is a first for the channel.'
Edwards' downfall came after a report in July 2023 alleged that a "top BBC Star" had paid a teenager for sexual pictures (pictured: Osian Morgan as Ryan and Martin Clunes as Huw Edwards)
Taking to social media as the one-off drama aired, viewers heaped praise on the English actor for delivering a pitch-perfect portrayal of the Welsh Edwards
The factual series is the first collaboration between 5's factual and scripted commissioning teams and will recount how one of the most recognisable figures in British television was at the centre of one of the biggest scandals at the public broadcaster.
A former BBC boss recently issued Channel 5 a stern warning, speculating that their new drama about Huw Edwards 'will rapidly run into legal problems'.
Roger Mosey, who previously headed up BBC TV News, admitted he felt the series was 'very risky' - instead noting a 'documentary approach' would have been safer.
Speaking on Times Radio in January, Roger, 68, who left the broadcaster in 2013 to become Master of Cambridge's Selwyn College, told radio hosts Jane Garvey and Fi Glover that a drama would not have been his 'preferred route' of looking at the case.
He said: 'Dramas involving living people are always very risky. A documentary approach seems to me to be completely legitimate and right and you should have the right to investigate
'But as we saw, you remember Steve Coogan’s film made about Richard III... once you start doing a narrative in a movie of good guys and bad guys and who did it, you can run into legal problems really very, very rapidly.
'Drama would not be my preferred route of looking at this.'