A Doctor Who episode featuring the voice of Huw Edwards has been temporarily removed from BBC iPlayer to be redubbed, the PA news agency understands. It comes after the former BBC News presenter admitted to having indecent images of children, with seven of the 41 being of the most serious type. The 2006 episode stars David Tennant and Billie Piper as the Doctor and his companion Rose Tyler, who travel to the future to the London 2012 Olympics where Edwards’ voice can be heard from a televised BBC news report. The instalment titled Fear Her from season two of the sci-fi drama was removed temporarily from BBC iPlayer on Friday to be redubbed, PA understands.
“As you would expect we are actively considering the availability of our archive,” a BBC spokesperson said. “While we don’t routinely delete content from the BBC archive as it is a matter of historical record, we do consider the continued use and re-use of material on a case-by-case basis.”
The statement follows the Mirror revealing on Thursday that the corporation planned to take down or edit the episode. A source told us: “It’s going to be hard for the BBC to airbrush Huw out of news events he covered, but the Doctor Who episode should be straightforward.” Featuring David Tennant as the celebrated Tenth Doctor alongside Billie Pipers Rose Tyler, the plot unfolds amidst the excitement of London’s 2012 Olympic Games, set to happen six years hence from the story’s perspective. Edwards voice punctuates the episode, initially announcing the progress of the Olympic torchbearers and later forming the backdrop for the opening ceremony by remarking, “athletes from all over the world are streaming into the stadium”.
The spotlight moment for Edwards occurs when Chloe Webber, a 12 year old girl central to the episode’s plot, causes an inexplicable vanishing act at the sports venue. Edwards is heard in disbelief exclaiming: “My God, what’s going on here? The crowd has just vanished, right in front of my eyes. It’s impossible. Bob, can we go to you in the box? Bob? Not you too?” In a shocking twist, 80,000 spectators and 13,000 athletes vanished into thin air, leading Edwards to exclaim in dismay, “This is a terrible turn of events.” Amidst the chaos, Chloe is haunted by her late father’s menacing threat: “Chloe, I’m coming to hurt you,” but with her mother and Rose’s heroics, everyone is miraculously restored. To cap off the drama, The Doctor brings the flame into the stadium, with Edwards announcing in awe, “They’ve reappeared! It’s quite incredible. And a mystery man, we’ve no idea who he is, has picked up the flame. It’s more than heat and light, it’s hope and it’s courage and it’s love.”
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