BBC Content Boss Charlotte Moore Reflects On Huw Edwards Scandal: “Hindsight Is A Wonderful Thing” – Edinburgh
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing,” Charlotte Moore said at Edinburgh this afternoon when addressing the Huw Edwards scandal and whether the BBC could have done more.
The content boss said “the BBC did everything with the evidence it had at that time,” as she dealt with the recent revelation that the corporation was aware its former star news anchor had been arrested in November but then spent five more months on the BBC’s payroll. He pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children late last month and will be sentenced in a few weeks.
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“We are all shocked at the revelations about Huw Edwards for everyone at the BBC and throughout the whole of the UK,” said Moore. “He’s really the villain of the piece and the victims are those poor children. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the BBC did everything with the evidence it had at that time.”
Director General Tim Davie has previously said the corporation is not sitting on any fresh evidence about Edwards. The BBC has also asked Edwards to return the money he earned after his arrest.
Moore backed the BBC Board’s independent review into workplace culture.
“Whenever you have a hierarchy and an imbalance of power in the workplace it is really important for anyone running a big organization [to examine workplace culture],” she said. “All of us need to ask whether the workplace is where it needs to be. Am I up for looking at that again and improving it and making it fit for purpose? Well of course I would welcome that.”
The BBC has simultaneously been dealing with the Strictly Come Dancing scandal, which has seen two dancers exit following allegations of bad behavior. Moore said duty of care is “of the utmost importance on every show but probably even moreso on Strictly.” “For 20 years this show has brought so much joy to the nation,” she added.
Moore was speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival on the same day as Channel 4 programs boss Ian Katz. He also had to face tricky questions on welfare issues following the tragic death of producer John Balson on a Channel 4 true crime series.
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