Actor Martin Clunes has said he initially had "sympathy" for Huw Edwards, as he thought the former BBC presenter was being "outed in the newspapers", before realising it was "a whole different ball game".
Clunes, 64, who is best known for playing the title role in Doc Martin, will portray Edwards in Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards.
The former newsreader admitted making indecent images of children.
Clunes said: "It was weird at the time because they wouldn't name him, so lots of BBC presenters kept saying it wasn’t them, and it caught fire, and then it was a surprise when Huw Edwards was named.
"I remember we were doing the read-through for Out There at the London Welsh Club just as this story was breaking, and there was a photo portrait of Huw Edwards in the entrance, which a few of us commented on.
"You felt sympathy for him at first, because it just seemed like a person in the public eye was being outed in the newspapers, and I can say from personal experience that newspapers only want to be nasty about people in the public eye.
"But then they found messages on his telephone, and that was a whole different ball game."
The drama will also star Welsh actor Osian Morgan as Ryan, a boy contacted in the film by Edwards. It is directed by BAFTA and Emmy-winning director Michael Samuels.
Speaking about how he prepared for the role, Clunes said: "I was familiar with Huw Edwards, the newsreader, and how he presented himself when he was reading the news.
"But I’ve seen other actors make the mistake of just inhabiting that projected face of a famous person or politician. I knew that we needed the other side of him too.
"Finding archive clips of Edwards away from the news was less easy, but I wanted to make sure I did.
"I noticed from looking at that archive that he was different when he wasn’t reading the news, and I wanted to make that distinction. If you listen to his rhythms, he’s far more Welsh when he’s not newsreading.
"I certainly don’t think you should ever be judging a character you’re playing, you just have to find ways to get into character. I’m not attracted to men, but I’m attracted to women, so I know what it feels like to be attracted.
"Then sometimes with acting you just have to jump off the cliff and hope you land well. You don’t want everything to feel measured and calculated."
Edwards was one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters and was best known for fronting News at Ten for many years, covering some of the biggest stories in Britain, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
His downfall began after The Sun alleged in July 2023 that a "top BBC star" had paid a teenager for sexual images. Days later, his wife named him as the presenter at the centre of the scandal.
He was charged in June 2024 following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. A month later, Edwards admitted making indecent images of children. The court heard he had 41 images on WhatsApp, including seven in the most serious category.
Source: Press Association
