‘Stop having a thin skin’ Huw Edwards addresses backlash from BBC viewers: Every week!
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Huw Edwards, 60, has spoken out about receiving criticism from BBC News at Ten viewers. The Welsh presenter has fronted the 10 o’clock show since 2003 and is now the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader.
Nevertheless, the nature of his job means he does suffer backlash which he admits has been difficult at times.
Huw told Men’s Health UK: “When I think back 20 years to me getting The Ten job, it took a long time to stop having a thin skin about people having a pop.”
The newsreader explains that viewers would say: “Why is this Welsh guy doing the news? Why doesn’t he sod off back to Cardiff and do the news there? All he does is read an autocue! Get rid of him!”
On how it has affected him, he continued: “You can laugh it off but if it’s every bl**dy week. I wasn’t used to it. I was used to being told I was brilliant.
“My mistake was thinking you can please all of the people. And you can’t. You have to be grown up enough to just accept that.”
While Huw says he tries to “accept” any negativity, he does at times hit back at those who criticise him.
Last week it was estimated that Huw earned around £37,500 in the first quarter of the year thanks to external events, according to Press Gazette.
This calculation is on top of his £430,000 BBC salary.
The news struck a nerve with some viewers who questioned why he was being paid so much.
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“Because you’d look like a rotting corpse if you didn’t have make-up on TV, that’s why.”
During his chat with host Jane Garvey, Huw also pointed out that his role goes beyond reading the news.
He said: “Bear in mind lots of my work for the Ten (o’clock news), most of it is done before I go on air, so therefore you are part of the team that makes decisions about what’s in the programme.
“I’m responsible for writing headlines and cues, so there’s journalistic work that goes on before you go on air.
“When you’re on air, yes of course there are certain demands which are to do it in a professional and polished way.
“But I would say the News Channel is probably a better example…you’re interviewing people, you’re responding to things.”
BBC News at Ten airs weekdays from 10pm on BBC One.
Huw Edwards was speaking to Men’s Health UK ‘Talking Heads’ columnist, Alastair Campbell, in the June issue of the magazine, on sale from 25th May.
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