Huw Edwards is to anchor next year’s royal wedding coverage for the BBC.
Edwards will anchor the BBC’s coverage of the royal wedding at Westminster Abbeyon 29 April after being chosen above David Dimbleby, the voice of state occasions for several decades, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Dimbleby commentated at the funeral of Princess Diana and of the Queen Mother and he also anchored the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Edwards, 49, told the Telegraph ‘I am delighted with the news and consider it a great honour to play a part in what I am sure will be a huge national celebration.
‘I felt something of an outsider for a long time. These days, the presence of a Welshman on the BBC’s main evening news bulletin is not questioned. In 1984, when I joined the BBC, attitudes were rather different.”
Edwards has cited Dimbleby as an inspiration and has firm views on how the BBC should cover landmark occasions.
Before the Obama inauguration he told the Daily Mail: “It is my firm belief that British viewer expect the BBC to maintain a certain formality when covering these occasions.”
“Our job as broadcasters is to enhance the viewer’s experience, not spoil it. Switch on the microphone only if you know exactly what you want to say. Speak if it helps the viewer’s understanding. If in doubt, leave it out.”
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