Here is the Huws/Bye Bye Barrow

I’ve previously praised Peston, but there is another stalwart of The News that deserves a journalistic high-five. Step forward, Welsh word-wizard, Huw Edwards.

Ah, News at Ten. Despite the fact that there are 24 hour, rolling, news services on the telebox, the 2200 one feels... proper. Like all the other reports were just working their way up to it, but this is the real one. Consider whatever it is to now be officially confirmed.

Since 2003, this most important of news broadcasts has been fronted by Huw Edwards, the 55 year old Welshman lending the whole thing a sense of gravitas and professionalism. Except when the camera cuts back to him after something he finds amusing. In which case, watch out for one sardonically raised eyebrow.

Whilst Robert Peston is honoured with the @robpestonhair Twitter fan account, there’s a very particular one for Huw. @HuwsAtTen noticed something metronomically fascinating about Huw’s News and only tweets about that, very specific, thing. And with 3000 followers, it seems plenty of other people find it fascinating too.

You see, Mr Edwards seems to start the news in exactly the same pose, every night. Not very exciting, you might be thinking. Don’t they all just sit behind that nice desk? Oh, how wrong you are. Not Huw. Huw sort of leans on one elbow, hand across his notes, usually holding a pen. His other arm is stretched out away from him, across the polished expanse of the glass-topped desk, as if reaching for the absolute truth. Or maybe it’s just comfortable. Who knows?

@HuwsAtTen handily take a screen grab every night and posts it, creating a twitter feed of very slightly different pictures, often indistinguishable, except for a different-coloured tie.

I will admit that a one-off, Huws at Ten, calendar, featuring 12 of the news-God’s finest nearly identical moments, is pretty high on my Christmas list. It’s beaten only by a call from Mercedes to say they need me to replace Nico Rosberg, a signed photo of Sheena Easton and Cadbury promising to produce the Creme Egg all year round.

Stand by at 9.59pm tonight, and watch in amazement as Huw strikes a pose, like a fact-providing Welsh Madonna.

In a Brexit/US elections-style close decision, Barrow has decided to change it’s name to Utqiagvik.

You kept that one quiet! Apparently, it’s the Iñupiat Eskimo name, and reinforces the cultural heritage of the town, according to councillors. There seems to be some debate as to what the new name actually means. It could be the poetic, but somewhat creepy, “Place where snow owls are hunted” or possibly something to do with potatoes being gathered.

Either way, you picked it, so good luck explaining how it’s pronounced. According to the article I read, it’s Oot-GHAR-vik . So best wishes to the commentator at the next Utqiagvik A.F.C. game – that should be entertaining for the crowd.

...Barrow, Alaska?! Oh. I see where I went wrong there. Carry on.

This post first appeared as my 'Thank grumpy it's Friday' column, in the North West Evening Mail, on the 9th of December, 2016. They re-titled it as "Huw calendar high on my list", and rather brilliantly quoted the following in the content index on page 2: "Huw strikes a pose like a fact-providing Welsh Madonna". Happy days - I was rather pleased with that line.

Two columns for the price of one this week! I like the Barrow one (hometown of the paper) but didn't think I could stretch it out to a full column. I could have expanded the Huw section, but as the Barrow one was linked to a current story, it felt like the only way to do it.

(Further interruption to the CD A-Z for Alison Moyet's "Essex" new deluxe edition - some rather splendid remixes on CD 2!)

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