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Huw Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter accused of a string of allegations, including paying a teenager for sexually explicit photos.

The veteran news anchor was named in a statement released by his wife, which also said he was suffering from "serious mental health issues".

Here's what we know so far.

Who is the accused BBC presenter?

Edwards was named as the star at the centre of the allegations on Wednesday evening, following five days of media coverage - and frenzied speculation online over his identity.

The 61-year-old, a married father-of-five, is one of the BBC's most high-profile presenters and its top newsreader.

Edwards has presented the BBC's News at Ten for the last 20 years and fronted its coverage of major events such as the death of Queen Elizabeth II. He has also previously spoken about his battle with mental health problems.

Before his wife's statement, there was limited public information about the identity of the star facing the allegations.

The Sun last week simply described him as a "household name" male presenter and said he was "currently off air". The newspaper also said he was on a six-figure salary.

Edwards has not been seen on TV or made any public comment since the allegations first emerged last week.

Latest figures released on Tuesday confirmed his six-figure salary as being between £435,000 and £439,999 a year, making him the highest-paid journalist at the corporation.

What has happened to Edwards?

The presenter was first told about the allegations on Thursday 6 July - the day before the first claims were published by The Sun.

After the reports emerged, Edwards made no public comment but appears to have continued to be active on social media.

He appeared to "like" several tweets written by other journalists, including a warning that The Sun could face a libel case over its allegations.

Following the events of the last few days, Edwards suffered a "serious" mental health episode and is now receiving "in-patient hospital care", according to the statement from his wife.

She said he would remain in hospital "for the foreseeable future" but added that he would "respond to the stories that have been published" once he felt well enough to do so.

Meanwhile, both the Metropolitan Police in London and South Wales Police have confirmed that, after looking into some of the allegations, detectives have found no evidence of a crime being committed and are not taking any further action.

Edwards has not resigned - but remains suspended while the BBC continues to investigate.

Read more:
'An awful and shocking episode': Huw Edwards' friends and colleagues react

What was the first allegation against the star?

Edwards allegedly paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit photos over a three-year period.

The claims date back to 2020, when the youth was 17, according to The Sun.

A series of payments were allegedly made during the years since, the newspaper claimed.

What about the other claims?

• Edwards allegedly sent threatening messages to a young person in their early 20s, who has no connection to the person at the centre of The Sun's story, the BBC previously reported.

The star met the young person on a dating app before their conversations moved to other platforms, according to the corporation.

He then revealed his identity and asked the young person not to tell anyone, BBC News said.

The young person later posted online alluding to having had contact with the presenter and hinted they might name him.

Edwards then allegedly sent a number of "threatening messages", which the BBC says it had seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the presenter.

The corporation said the young person felt "threatened" by the messages and "remains scared".

• A third person, aged 23, alleged the presenter broke COVID rules to meet them during a national lockdown in February 2021, The Sun claimed.

The star allegedly travelled across London by train to visit the person at their flat for about an hour.

The newspaper said it had seen messages suggesting the presenter visited the person's home, sent cash and asked for a picture - and was sent a semi-naked photo.

At the time of the alleged visit, strict COVID rules were in place including a stay-at-home order and mixing only between household bubbles.

• In separate claims, the newspaper published messages the presenter allegedly sent to a 17-year-old after initiating a conversation on Instagram in October 2018.

The paper said the messages contained love heart emojis and kisses.

The youth, now aged 22, told The Sun "looking back now it does seem creepy because he was messaging me when I was still at school".

• The BBC also said on Wednesday that Edwards was facing further allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" towards colleagues.

They include claims that he sent "suggestive" messages earlier this year to another member of staff about their appearance - which made them feel uncomfortable.

BBC Newsnight said it had also spoken to one current and one former BBC worker who both allegedly received "inappropriate" messages, including communications sent late at night.

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Who made the allegations to The Sun about payments for photos?

The first allegations came from the mother of the youth who was allegedly paid more than £35,000 by Edwards for explicit images.

However the individual involved, now aged 20, is estranged from their mother and has described her allegations as "rubbish".

The mother told The Sun that she had seen bank account statements showing the payments - including one lump sum of £5,000.

She claimed the presenter requested "performances" and that her "child" had used the cash to fund an addiction to crack cocaine - which had "destroyed" their life.

In allegations published in The Sun on Sunday, the mother said she was "shocked" when her offspring showed her a screenshot of a video chat, in which the presenter was sitting in his boxer shorts on a sofa at his home.

She said the man appeared to be "leaning forward, getting ready for my child to perform for him".

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The parent said that earlier this year she was shocked when she overheard the presenter "on the phone saying to my child: 'I told you not to f* ring me'".

She also said her child told her they had received a payment of £1,000 via PayPal in June - weeks after the family complained to the BBC on 19 May.

She said this suggested the "BBC hadn't spoken to this man" in the weeks after the initial complaint.

What did the young person say about the original claims?

A lawyer for the youth reportedly said their mother's allegations to The Sun were "rubbish" and insisted "nothing inappropriate" happened.

The lawyer said in a letter to the BBC: "For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in The Sun newspaper are rubbish."

The letter also said the young person sent a denial to The Sun on Friday evening saying there was "no truth to it".

However, the "inappropriate article" was still published, according to the lawyer.

What has The Sun said?

The newspaper issued a new statement after Edwards was named, saying that it had no plans to publish further allegations about him.

It added: "We must also re-emphasise that The Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations."

Previously, in response the young person's claim dismissing their report as "rubbish", a spokesperson said: "We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child. Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC.

"We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It's now for the BBC to properly investigate."

What was the parents' reaction to the lawyer's statement?

After the BBC published the lawyer's letter, the young person's mother told The Sun: "It is sad but we stand by our account and we hope they get the help they need.

"We did this to help - and the presenter has got into their head. How did they afford a lawyer? We are so sad."

The young person's stepfather reportedly added: "We are disappointed they made a statement. It's not true."

The stepfather also claimed the BBC ignored emails sent on 19 May which allegedly included bank statements showing payments made by the presenter.

And he told The Sun the BBC had lied when it said "new allegations" had led to the suspension of the presenter.

The stepfather said he was told that the new claims were that the youngster was 17 when contact began.

"They're not telling the truth," he said. "I told them the youngster was 20 and it had been going on for three years."

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Was the alleged behaviour by the presenter illegal?

The first payments for sexually explicit photos were allegedly made when the youth was 17, according to The Sun.

While the legal age of consent in the UK is 16, it is a crime to make or possess indecent images of anyone under 18.

However the Guardian reported on Tuesday that The Sun was now "distancing themselves from this line and claiming the story was not really about potential criminal activity", according to sources.

"Instead, they suggest it was more about concerned parents trying to stop payments to a vulnerable child with a drug habit," The Guardian said.

The Sun's statement after Edwards was named said: "The Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality... Suggestions about possible criminality were first made at a later date by other media outlets, including the BBC."

Two police forces have also carried out an initial assessment of allegations made against Edwards and concluded no crime has been committed.

What is the BBC's timeline of events?

According to the BBC, the corporation first talked to Edwards about the allegations on Thursday 6 July.

A complaint was first made in May and was assessed by the corporate investigations team, but BBC boss Tim Davie said at that point there was no "allegation of criminality".

The BBC said it emailed the complainant - a family member - seeking more information but did not get a response.

A follow-up call was made on 6 June but it did not connect, the BBC said.

Things shifted up a gear on 6 July. The Sun contacted the BBC's press office with "new allegations", different from what was already being looked into.

This was the first time the director-general or any executive directors were "made aware" of the claims, the BBC said.

It was agreed that the presenter would not be on air.

The BBC's Serious Case Management Framework (SCMF) was initiated on 7 July and the complainant sent some material about the claims to the BBC.

The BBC confirmed it had suspended the presenter on 9 July.

Read more:
How the BBC says it handled complaint - full timeline

What has the BBC said?

As Edwards was named on Wednesday evening, a BBC spokesperson said: "We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action.

"We're grateful to them for completing this work at speed.

"The police had previously asked us to pause our fact finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved."

In a note sent to staff, Mr Davie said: "This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved."

He added: "This remains a very complex set of circumstances. As we have done throughout, our aim must be to navigate through this with care and consideration, in line with the BBC values."

Previously, the BBC admitted it did not put allegations made by the family of a young person to the accused presenter until seven weeks after they were first raised.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Mr Davie said he had not spoken directly to the presenter in question, and refused to be drawn on how the scandal might play out.

He also refused to speculate on when - or if - the presenter could be back on TV.

Mr Davie said the scandal has prompted a review into BBC procedures and protocols, specifically how "complaints are red flagged up the organisation".

When asked by the media why no contact was made with the complainant for more than a month, Mr Davie said "thousands" of complaints are made and it is "appropriate" there is a verification process.

He would not say if the presenter in question had offered to resign, and when asked if support was being offered to the presenter, he said the corporation was "excellent" at offering the right support, and duty of care was one of their "highest priorities".

Which BBC stars were wrongly accused?

Some BBC presenters chose to declare their innocence online after being falsely named online.

Rylan Clark told Twitter followers he was currently in Italy filming for the BBC, tweeting that it "ain't me babe".

Jeremy Vine said he would be back on air on Monday and tweeted: "I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly ain't me."

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker referenced his "haters" in a tweet to his eight million followers.

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell has threatened to sue people who accused him online and said he had also reported some social media users to the police.

What has the reaction been to Edwards being named?

Friends and colleagues of Huw Edwards have reacted with shock to the statement released by his wife.

Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker said on Twitter: "This is an awful situation & will come as a big shock to many.

"Huw Edwards is clearly not in a good place at the moment and this must be terrible for his family. I just hope that whoever needs help - on all sides of this - gets the time, space & support they need to heal."

The BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson said he felt "so sorry for everyone involved in this".

He added: "No criminal offences were committed, so it's a purely personal tragedy for everyone involved. Let's hope the press leave them all alone now."