Martin Clunes explains why he chose to star in hard-hitting Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards

Martin Clunes has explained why he chose to portray disgraced BBC News presenter Huw Edwards in a factual drama for 5, chronicling his fall from grace and the impact he had on a vulnerable teenager.

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards sees Clunes co-star opposite Osian Morgan (Under Salt Marsh) as 'Ryan' (not his real name), who was 17 years old when he first came into contact with the broadcaster.

The feature-length one-off drama is the product of thorough research, including interviews with the anonymous young man, plus verbatim text messages exchanged between Edwards and the teenager.

Many were surprised when Clunes was cast in the hard-hitting drama, given that the actor is arguably best known for more light-hearted work, such as Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly.

Speaking to press, the actor said that he "knew it would be a challenge on a number of levels", but outlined his reasons for taking a chance on the high-profile project.

"The script is always the most important thing and I thought it was really powerful and compelling – it's always good when drama tackles difficult stories, especially when it does so as intelligently as this project," Clunes explained.

"Beyond the salacious curiosity around this story, I really thought there was another story worth telling, that of 'Ryan' and his family. Obviously, the press and the media have focused on the fallen big man, Huw Edwards, which, of course, is a big story.

"But behind that, there's this lad and his family whose lives got turned upside down and rather spoiled," he continued.

"I'm also a massive fan of the director, Michael Samuels, and I never thought I'd get to work with him. I thought he was out of my reach as far as directors go, so I was really thrilled about the chance to work with him on this."

Samuels was honoured at 2011's BAFTA TV Awards for directing Channel 4 period drama Any Human Heart, starring Jim Broadbent, with other notable credits including Man in an Orange Shirt and feature film The Windermere Children.

Clunes went on to say that he's "not desperate to reshape" his public image, and would happily "play someone like Doc Martin again in a heartbeat". Indeed, he is currently playing a very similar role in US remake Best Medicine.

"I've played a murderer before and I'm vile in Wuthering Heights, so this isn't my first dark role, but I always just take work from what’s on offer, and I've never had a plan," he concluded.

Speaking at the premiere, Clunes jokingly attributed his casting to Michael Sheen being "busy", referencing the actor's tendency to portray famous faces – from Prince Andrew (A Very Royal Scandal) and Tony Blair (The Queen) to David Frost (Frost/Nixon) and Chris Tarrant (Quiz).

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards co-star Morgan echoed Clunes's sentiment that this disturbing story was being told in the right way, by prioritising the perspective of 'Ryan' over that of Edwards.

Morgan said: "Audiences are used to seeing stories focused on the perpetrator and their downfall, but this drama asks a different question – what does the experience do to the survivor?

"That emotional anchor is incredibly necessary. I think if audiences walk away thinking less about the scandal, and more about the human cost behind these headlines, then we've achieved something worthwhile."

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards premieres on 5 on Tuesday 24 March 2026.

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