Huw Edwards has not returned salary, BBC says

The BBC's manager wide has said "discussions are nether way" astir the anticipation of clawing backmost £200,000 from disgraced quality presenter Huw Edwards, but that helium has not yet returned the money.

The BBC has asked Edwards to manus backmost the wage helium earned aft being arrested past November connected kid maltreatment representation charges.

Speaking astatine a House of Lords committee connected Tuesday, Tim Davie said: "We've made the ceremonial petition and I can't spell into excessively overmuch item but discussions are nether way.

"The wealth should beryllium returned and we made the request."

Asked by the communications and integer committee's seat Baroness Stowell whether the BBC had acceptable Edwards a deadline, Mr Davie said no.

"But we bash expect to marque advancement and get an answer," helium said.

The BBC main reiterated, following the announcement of the petition successful August, that the corp could look into ineligible avenues to reclaim the money.

"We’ll research that arsenic I’ve said connected record, I deliberation that is challenging."

Edwards, formerly the BBC's astir high-profile newsreader, continued to gain his wage for 5 months aft helium was arrested connected 3 counts of making indecent images of children.

He was suspended successful July 2023 and arrested 4 months later. He did not resign from the BBC until April.

In July, Edwards pleaded blameworthy to 3 counts of making indecent images of children.

The ex-presenter "behaved successful atrocious faith" successful continuing to instrumentality his wage contempt knowing what helium had done, BBC seat Samir Shah said successful a missive to unit past month.

Speaking to the committee connected Tuesday, Mr Shah said determination was "nothing much important than nationalist spot successful the BBC and we are custodians of that trust".

He added: "What Huw Edwards did damaged the estimation of the BBC.

"It was a daze to find helium was charged and had lived this treble life. The idiosyncratic who betrayed the spot of the federation was Huw Edwards."

During the committee hearing, Mr Shah besides spoke astir the BBC's independence, saying the authorities presently has excessively overmuch power implicit the broadcaster.

He said the corporation's planetary "reputation has been damaged successful caller years" due to the fact that of the "leverage the authorities of the time has implicit the BBC".

Mr Shah said: "We should effort to trim that leverage and marque our accountability to bash with the public, the licence interest payer.

"I surely invited an thought of dialling that up, portion we dial down the narration with the authorities of the time and the BBC."

Mr Shah said the BBC's 14-strong committee includes 5 non-executive directors - including himself - who were appointed by the government.

"I'm not definite that's the close equilibrium and I deliberation we should deliberation again astir it," helium said.

His predecessor arsenic BBC chair, Richard Sharp, was a adjacent subordinate of Boris Johnson, and faced disapproval for dealings helium had with the then-prime curate earlier his appointment.

Mr Sharp resigned successful 2023 aft a study recovered helium had created the quality of a struggle of involvement by not afloat disclosing his cognition of Mr Johnson's idiosyncratic finances.

Mr Sharp defended his behaviour but said helium did not privation to beryllium a distraction.

Meanwhile, erstwhile Downing Street caput of communications Sir Robbie Gibb has been accused of attempting to interfere successful editorial matters aft being appointed to the BBC committee successful 2021.

Mr Shah besides told the committee the authorities has excessively overmuch accidental implicit the BBC's finances.

"What matters astir of each is the independency of the BBC," helium said.

"The licence interest has galore difficulties arsenic we cognize but the licence interest has been susceptible to actions by the government... to enforce connected the BBC duties that instrumentality wealth distant from making content, astir egregiously the World Service. We abruptly had to find £300m."

Responsibility for backing the World Service transferred from the authorities to the BBC a decennary ago.

"We request to person a aboriginal backing exemplary that means we are autarkic of that benignant of action," Mr Shah said.