The BBC has removed an episode of Doctor Who from its streaming service, iPlayer, seemingly due to it featuring a cameo from former news presenter, Huw Edwards.
This follows both Edwards pleading guilty to “making indecent images of children”, and accusations last summer that he paid a teenager for explicit images.
The ex-presenter made a voiceover cameo in the Series 2 Doctor Who episode, Fear Her, which has subsequently been taken down from The Whoniverse section of BBC iPlayer. The BBC hasn’t made any comments about its removal, so we don’t know whether it’ll reappear at any point, perhaps re-edited (seeing as Edwards’ comments could easily be reworked or removed completely).
Earlier this week, a BBC spokesperson said:
“The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.”
This is certainly an interesting bit of news, one that’s mired in the grey area — of course, what Edwards did was disgusting and wrong; and it has led some to question how far censorship should go. While some commenters suggest that you can’t rewrite history or ignore the ugly truths, others will no doubt be ashamed that he’s associated with Doctor Who in any way.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on future censorship, i.e. what’s removed or papered over and what isn’t. For instance, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II was reported by Edwards and is part of historical documentation now.
Edwards has pleaded guilty. Things like this have happened before, though, with accusations — Stark Raving Dad, for instance, an episode of The Simpsons, never made it to Disney+ because it starred Michael Jackson; executive producer James L. Brooks made the decision after seeing the documentary, Leaving Neverland, which accuses Jackson of sexual abuse.
Whatever happens, those incredibly witty people on X (formerly Twitter) who say “it’s only Fear Her, lol” miss the point entirely.
Updated: The BBC has confirmed that the episode will be redubbed and added back to the streaming service afterwards.
