David Bridges
The BBC has pulled the 2006 Physician Who episode “Concern Her” from streaming on its iPlayer platform, after one in all its visitor stars, former BBC information anchor Huw Edwards, plead responsible in UK courts on counts of accessing indecent photos of kids.
Edwards—who left the BBC in April 2024, having been suspended associated to separate allegations in November 2023—seems in a cameo in the course of the climax of the eleventh episode of Physician Who‘s 2006 season. Set within the near-future across the then-upcoming 2012 London Olympics, the episode follows a younger lady possessed by an alien being, whose otherworldly powers start to make individuals mysteriously vanish. Edwards options prominently within the climax of the episode, reporting on the disappearances round a ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame.
Up till his suspension final 12 months, Edwards was some of the recognizable and outstanding information anchors within the UK. A principal presenter for the BBC’s 10 O’clock Information program, Edwards led protection for the broadcaster on main information occasions, together with a number of elections, in addition to the demise and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Physician Who shouldn’t be Edwards’ solely cameo in movie and TV, both: he additionally seems within the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, enjoying himself reporting on an assault on the British Intelligence service MI6.
“In November 2023, while Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer on the time was made conscious in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of great offences and launched on bail while the police continued their investigation. On the time, no expenses had been introduced in opposition to Mr Edwards and the BBC had additionally been made conscious of great danger to his well being,” the BBC stated in a press release, launched after Edwards appeared in court docket yesterday to plead responsible to 3 counts of “making” indecent photos of kids, the broad authorized time period for having both downloaded, accessed, or saved photos on a pc, or be despatched them over social media and chat companies.
“Right this moment we now have learnt of the conclusion of the police course of within the particulars as introduced to the court docket. If at any level in the course of the interval Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had decided it could act instantly to dismiss him.”
The BBC has but to substantiate its plans to return “Concern Her” to the iPlayer platform—which had not too long ago change into Physician Who‘s definitive streaming residence within the UK final 12 months, internet hosting virtually each obtainable episode of the sequence throughout its 60+ 12 months historical past. British tabloid the Mirror experiences that the broadcaster has plans re-dub Edwards’ efficiency within the episode with one other actor, though it stays unknown if the BBC will change or take away the footage of Edwards’ look altogether.
The episode at present stays obtainable to stream within the U.S. on Max. io9 has reached out to Max to ask if it has plans to take away the episode, and can replace this submit if we hear again.
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Daniel Mercer
Ethan Carter
