Martin Clunes leaves This Morning presenter Josie Gibson in shock as he says he didn't 'judge' Huw Edwards while portraying him in Channel 5 drama focused on grooming scandal

Martin Clunes left This Morning presenter Josie Gibson in shock on Friday as he said he didn't 'judge' Huw Edwards while portraying him in Channel 5 drama focused on his grooming scandal. 

The actor, 64, appeared on the sofa to chat to presenters Dermot O'Leary and Josie Gibson about his latest book Training John and Murray. 

But the trio also spoke about Martin's successful career, which led them on to talk about his latest role as former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards in Channel 5 drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, which hit screens on March 24.

Edwards, who presented the BBC's News at Ten for decades and broke some of the biggest stories including the death of Queen Elizabeth II, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children in July 2024.

He was suspended by the BBC in July 2023 and was later convicted of making indecent images of children for which he received a six-month suspended sentence in September 2024.

Live in the This Morning studio, Dermot said: 'You did so well on the Huw Edwards drama, I watched it the other night. Just brilliant. He was the spokesperson of our nation, I did the royal wedding with him. How was that role to play and how much did you want to deep dive that research?' 

Martin replied: 'Yeah, we saw him every night on TV and it was a familiarity there... It was hard in the archive to find him not on duty.'

An intrigued Josie asked: 'Did any of it make you really angry, you know when you take on a role like that... 

'Do you get angry? Or do you just have to put it aside?'

Martin confessed: 'No, not really. I think if you're judging them, you've got something wrong.'

'Oh really?' a shocked Josie replied. 'That's a different way of looking at it.'  

Back in March, Martin revealed why he took on the role while appearing on Good Morning Britain.

Ed asked: 'Are you choosing roles now which make a point, which are about raising awareness? Changing things?'  

Martin replied: 'No. No I'm not.'

Ed asked: 'Well why are they coming to you?'

'Maybe I've matured,' Martin confessed. 'I don't know. But I've never had a conscience "I must do this, I must do that". It's the job I do that pays for anything, you know.'  

Susanna Reid also asked what he thinks about the criticism that it was too soon to have made the drama.

Martin shot back: 'I don't know. If anybody thinks it's too soon, don't watch it. 

'I don't think it's too soon, I don't know what the timetable is for these things.' 

Channel 5 teased of the series: 'The drama explores the story of how a vulnerable 17-year-old was groomed by one of the most powerful figures in television – Huw Edwards.

'Starring Martin Clunes as Edwards, the series explores the newsreader’s double life as it spirals out of control, leading him to make the greatest announcement of his career – his total exit from public life following his conviction for serious child sexual offences.

'Edwards had a secret. Online, he was repeatedly soliciting explicit sexual photos from young men, and in particular grooming a vulnerable 17-year-old.

'He had also struck up a separate online friendship with a man who, from December 2020 to August 2021, repeatedly sent him messages containing child abuse imagery which he accessed, including so called ‘Category A’ images – the most extreme.'

This Morning airs weekdays from 10:00am on ITV.