"I’m greatly looking forward to building a brand new programme with Robert Peston and ITV. It’s a very exciting project."
Vicky Flind, BBC producer
Flind’s “difficult” decision to follow in Peston’s footsteps to the commercial channel comes months after her husband had a public spat with ITV over viewing figures for news programmes.
In November, Edwards took aim at ITV in a post on Facebook, mocking its newly-relaunched News at Ten for losing viewers. Edwards, who hosts the BBC’s flagship 10pm bulletin, suggested that millions of ITV viewers switched off when newsreader Tom Bradby came on air.
He wrote: "They just about managed 2million – having conspired to lose 4million viewers in a few minutes after the excellent Doc Martin. We were watched by 4.4million. So it’s business as usual.”
He also accused the rival channel of being “creative” with its audience figures, prompting an ITV source to comment: "Someone get Huw a saucer of milk. It’s a bit desperate really.”
Marr is said to have been determined to poach Flind for his new show, having worked with her on This Week at the BBC, which is presented by Andrew Neil.
But her Bridgend-born husband is a loyal and long-standing BBC employee, having first joined the Corporation as a 23-year-old trainee in 1984.
Edwards met Flind when he was a BBC correspondent at Westminster. They have five children together and share a home in Dulwich, south London. Flind is a governor at the prestigious Dulwich College.
She declined to comment on her new job, but was quoted in The Times as saying: “It is very rare to have the opportunity to create a new TV programme. I was lucky enough to have that opportunity 13 years ago with This Week – which I’m delighted to say is still performing strongly.
“It will be very difficult to leave Andrew and the This Week family, but I’m greatly looking forward to building a brand new programme with Robert Peston and ITV. It’s a very exciting project.”
Among the other high-profile journalists who have left the BBC for ITV recently is Allegra Stratton, the former Newsnight political editor, who has just taken up a new position at News at Ten.
Edwards could not be reached for comment.
Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/579309/s/4db8908b/sc/13/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cbbc0C1216620A90CBattle0Eof0Ethe0Ebongs0EHuw0EEdwards0Ewife0Ejumps0Eship0Efor0EITV0Bhtml/story01.htm
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