Clive Myrie has said that it was “weird” reporting on the allegations surrounding his former colleague Huw Edwards.
The former BBC News at Ten presenter resigned on “medical advice” after he was accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images. Myrie replaced him in the role soon after.
The 62-year-old, who had been off-air since the scandal broke in July last year, was alleged to have paid the young person £35,000.
South Wales Police and the Metropolitan Police found no evidence of criminal conduct.
In a new interview with Radio Times, the 59-year-old broadcaster, reportedly named “Saint Clive” by colleagues due to his impeccable reputation, spoke about the experience of reporting on his coworker.
“When you end up doing a story that involves you reporting on your colleagues, it’s weird. That’s actually the best description,” he said,
“It’s just weird. Because you’re not usually there to be talking about the staff in your newsroom.”
Myrie, who has worked at the BBC since the 1980s, has been rumoured to be the favourite to replace Edwards as host of the BBC’s election night coverage. But the presenter said he was just appreciative of what he’d been able to achieve so far.
“I’m incredibly pleased with what I’ve got,” he said. “And given that my parents were convinced that I’d made a big old mess of my career choice, they’re now very proud of me.”
He added: “What I’m doing now is brilliant. I’m loving it. It’s amazing to be invited into people’s homes at 10pm.”
Last month, it was revealed that the BBC had warned Edwards about his online conduct two years before the scandal that led to him being taken off air, according to confidential documents.
According to documents seen by The Sunday Times, a woman in her late 40s urged the BBC to halt contact between herself and Mr Edwards after they exchanged messages on Instagram and email.
The corporation spoke to Mr Edwards about his “actions and social media use” and understood the interactions were “to stop”, according to documents seen by the newspaper.
The BBC said: “As set out in our statement earlier this week, Huw Edwards resigned on 22 April on the basis of medical advice from his doctors. The BBC accepted his resignation and we do not believe it appropriate to comment further.”
