So when the BBC promoted him into this lofty role it was putting an enormous amount of trust in him as a journalist, performer and as an individual; plus a concomitant amount of pressure. That is why, when he admitted to crimes (which are now in the public mind probably the most despised of any) the sense of trust betrayed will be acute. And it will not be only his ex-colleagues at the BBC who will be feeling it.
Senior newsreaders occupy a unique prominence in society; their credibility, indeed their whole purpose it could be said, resides in their trustworthiness. There will be millions of people who tonight will be coming to terms with this new knowledge they have acquired of a man who for years was seen as an icon of respectability.
There will be practical measures that will now need to be taken inside the walls of New Broadcasting House. One problem will be what to do with the BBC’s precious archive. Much of Edwards’s output – his many documentaries about Wales – has already been scrubbed from the BBC’s iPlayer. The big national events that Edwards commentated upon – he announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but was also there for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rise and fall of several prime ministers – are now forever tainted by his face and voice.
In broadcasting terms it’s difficult to see what can be done about that. It would be impossible to remove all trace of the man from those recordings; he is front and centre in our record of history. Edwards will be there, indelibly, forever and a reminder of the BBC’s Chosen One who fell from grace.