Huw Edwards (EastEnders)

Fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Huw Edwards is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Richard Elis. Huw was introduced on 28 May 1996 and remained on screen until 15 April 1999.

Huw is an amiable Welshman from Pontarddulais, who is best friends with Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman). They live in a squat in Albert Square, enjoying loud music and winding up Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Lenny and Huw also operate a pirate radio station from the premises for a while. Ian tries to get them evicted several times — once calling the council to complain about noise pollution — and Lenny and Huw do everything they can to annoy him further. During his time in Walford, Huw works in George Palmer (Paul Moriarty)'s nightclub as a barman, soon bought by Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), and in the café as a waiter. In 1998 Huw develops a crush on Ruth Fowler (Caroline Paterson). Ruth sees him only as a platonic friend and unwittingly lets him get his hopes up for a relationship for a period of time. Huw eventually leaves the Square to live with Carrie Swann (Holly Atkins), an artist who is exhibiting her abstract art in the café.

Actor Richard Elis was cast in the minor role of Huw for a period of three episodes in 1996; however, producers enjoyed the character and his contract was extended. Elis was an inexperienced actor and was sent to audition for the role while still in drama school at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. He was given two minutes on stage to impress London casting agents. His rendition of an extract impressed the EastEnders casting director, Jonathan McLeash, and he was asked to attend an audition in London. At the audition, Elis did a comedy monologue about a man working in a chip shop in Cardiff. Approximately four hours later, Elis was telephoned and told he'd been cast as Huw. Elis has described the experience as "mindblowing". It was reported in December 1998 that executive producer Matthew Robinson had axed Huw because the character was "going nowhere". However, Elis claimed in 2010 that he decided to leave the role in 1999 after three years playing Huw as he feared being typecast. Elis has commented, "My agent at the time told me that if you are in a soap for three years, it takes three years for the viewers to forget you, whereas if you are in one for five years, it takes another 10 years before they forget you. I just felt it was time to go. It was great to be on it but it was just a job to me." Stuart Heritage from The Guardian recalled the character in 2011, suggesting that Huw's "only role was to say the name 'Ian Beale' in increasingly malevolent ways."