David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss how the Palace is managing news of the King’s cancer diagnosis. How will the royal communications team be controlling the release of information in the coming weeks? Also, in the wake of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s apology to parents of children who have suffered on social media, David and Simon look at why real change is so hard in Silicon Valley when it comes to child safety, and the PR fallout. Is there a strategic communications plan that can stop tech bi...
Feb 06, 2024•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis enter into the secret world of secrets and discuss how it is still possible to keep big news under wraps – how Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp kept his departure from Anfield out of the press with the help of his "inner doughnut". As the UK government moves to ban disposable e-cigarettes, David and Simon look at how PR has helped the vaping market capture Britain. And following the controversy surrounding Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie failing to win Oscar nomination...
Jan 30, 2024•28 min
Quick Wins is a series of short episodes from the When It Hits the Fan team to help you navigate your own personal PR. In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis share their advice on how to work with a tricky boss. Managing this relationship is a key part of getting on in your working life. So understand their goals, make them look good, and if that doesn't turn them into a pussy cat, have the confidence to call out really bad behaviour. Producer: Sophie Smith Executive Producer: Eve Street...
Jan 26, 2024•10 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the fan-hitting hornet’s nest that is executive pay. After Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea said he couldn’t justify his £4.5 million pay packet, they ask - is the BBC Breakfast sofa a wise PR move for a chief executive? Footballer Jordan Henderson - why his communications strategy is a little... offside. And, the power of high-profile people being open about their medical conditions – how a prostate diagnosis can be used for the public good. Producer: Eve Streeter...
Jan 23, 2024•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the aggressive PR strategy that was part of the Post Office scandal. When does defending your brand become toxic PR? They also look at Boeing’s reputational crisis following the Alaska Airlines blowout and why trust is central to public relations. And the King’s new biography – the Palace is being more open, which is a good PR move, but are there risks attached? Producer: Eve Streeter Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William Miller Researcher: Soph...
Jan 16, 2024•28 min
Quick Wins is a series of short and snappy episodes with lots of useful advice aimed at improving your working life. In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis share their tips on how to negotiate your salary. If you want a pay rise choose your timing carefully, make it about the company, and don't say you deserve it! Producer: Sophie Smith Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
Jan 09, 2024•8 min
Quick Wins is a series of short and snappy episodes with lots of useful advice aimed at improving your working life. In this episode David and Simon share their tips on how to leave your job with style. It's time to move on, or perhaps you've lost your job. Don't get angry – line up your friends and remember: there's always a new tomorrow. Producer: Sophie Smith Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
Jan 03, 2024•8 min
In this special episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis take you into the eye of a media storm and talk to a person who has lived through it. What’s it like to wake up to a world where everyone knows your name, and you wish they didn’t? In 1991, Gerald Ratner had one of Britain’s most famous fan-hitting moments. Having built a billion-pound chain of high-street jewellery shops, he saw his business collapse around him after making a seemingly harmless, yet ill-fated, joke. In fact, what happened t...
Dec 27, 2023•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss Prince Harry’s phone-hacking victory in the High Court and how the British print press is dealing with its own reputational crisis by pretending it didn’t happen. Also – Baroness Mone is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons following her latest attempt to control the narrative in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg. Why is her PR offensive failing? And David and Simon look back at the top PR lessons of 2023. Producer: Eve Streeter Editor: Sarah Tea...
Dec 19, 2023•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss Baroness Mone of Mayfair’s self-funded YouTube documentary – does it make her a PR genius or just terribly unwise? They also look at the reputational fallout from the Phillip Schofield affair at ITV – for both the company and individuals. And they peek inside the secret world of VIP PR. What strategies do big companies have for handling famous customers in public and in private? Producer: Eve Streeter Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William Miller...
Dec 12, 2023•28 min
Quick Wins from the When It Hits the Fan team is our how-to guide to being better at your own PR and navigating the world of work like a pro. In these special short episodes, David Yelland and Simon Lewis give you lots of useful tips that might just change your working life – and it’ll only take a few minutes of your time. In this episode: how to survive the office party. Should the "hub and spoke" or the SAS-style approach be your strategy for the night? David and Simon share their work wisdom ...
Dec 07, 2023•8 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis return to the continuing fallout from Omid Scobie’s book Endgame, which has provoked a highly unusual change of PR strategy from Buckingham Palace. They also discuss the flock of PR people who have descended on the COP summit in Dubai and ask what they’re up to. And, every CEO’s worst nightmare - the Wilko select committee. How do you prepare for going in front of a firing squad of MPs? Producer: Eve Streeter Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William Miller...
Dec 05, 2023•29 min
This week David Yelland and Simon Lewis go behind the scenes as the Royal Family tries to cope with Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame, which appears to be from "Team Meghan". When is "no comment" the best strategy? David and Simon delve into the never-talked about world of obituary PR and reveal the horse-trading and lobbying that goes on behind closed doors. And the battle being fought between Ridley Scott and historians over the film Napoleon – should facts get in the way of a good story? Produce...
Nov 28, 2023•28 min
After a week in which some top people in British politics have lost or given up their jobs, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the strange case of OpenAI’s Sam Altman, the artificial intelligence superstar whose overnight ousting – and very quick re-employment – sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley. Everton Football Club in crisis – how do you utilise PR in the emotional cauldron that is the Premier League? And we take you into the world of schmoozing that is political PR – it’s the return ...
Nov 21, 2023•28 min
As the King marks his 75th birthday, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at how the Palace is using artificial intelligence to track public sentiment, what series six of The Crown means for the Royal PR strategy, and the thorny issue of Prince Harry’s court crusade. Also in this episode – Shell’s drive to change how 18 to 24 year olds feel about fossil fuels. And Pharrell Williams' million-dollar handbag for Louis Vuitton – why it is good PR to make people jealous and mad as hell? Producer: Eve S...
Nov 14, 2023•28 min
Rishi Sunak’s fireside chat with Elon Musk following the UK’s AI Safety Summit has been criticised as a PR disaster for the Prime Minister. But was it really a fan-hitting moment for him? Or just a vision of the future new world order? Also, as Robert de Niro is in court in the US battling out a very public spat with his former assistant, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the often hidden role of litigation PR. And the controversy surrounding the Marks and Spencer Christmas ad – is sorry alw...
Nov 07, 2023•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis assess the endgame around former CEO Alison Rose’s departure from NatWest. With a forensic PR eye they return to the scene of her fan-hitting moment at a charity dinner where she sat next to the BBC business editor Simon Jack. What tricks of the trade do communications people have up their sleeves to avoid a PR disaster like this one? And how will the debate around Alison Rose’s pay-out affect her reputation? The consumer giant Unilever is in the news for apparently...
Oct 31, 2023•28 min
Following the release of Britney Spears’ autobiography David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the wisdom of the tell-all memoir. How does it measure up as a PR strategy? Also, BT’s “blink and you may have missed it” rebranding to EE – will a customer backlash make the company regret downgrading this great British brand? And finally, as Meryl Streep announces the end of her marriage… six years ago, they look at how timing is everything when it comes to making big announcements and how to make hot ...
Oct 24, 2023•28 min
In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the decision of Captain Tom’s family to enter the lion’s den in a TV interview with Piers Morgan in a bid to clear their name. Also, they chat about the public relations problems at Barclays Bank, and a leaf straight out of the PR playbook from the Jockey Club. A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4
Oct 17, 2023•28 min
In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss “PR-ing the impossible” - the dirty business of representing the tobacco industry. Also, controlling the narrative – what the new Beckham Netflix documentary tells us about David and Victoria’s three decades of fame and how they’ve managed it. And they’ll be looking at an Eton Mess - and we don’t mean the pudding. What do you do when you're the new Eton provost and an interview from 1988 comes back to haunt you? Producer: Eve Streeter Editor...
Oct 10, 2023•28 min
In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the soft power of one of the most influential people in the United States right now. It’s not a man, it’s not even a very old man. It’s a 33-year-old woman who seems to have Fox News, Donald Trump and the Republican Party running scared - Taylor Swift. With half a billion social media followers and a growing political influence among her fans, we look at how she might derail Donald Trump’s ambitions to return to the White House. Turning to G...
Oct 03, 2023•28 min
In the wake of Rupert Murdoch's retirement, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss a tale of two successions and how the fates of one of the world’s biggest media dynasties and the Royal Family became paradoxically intertwined. They look at the latest fan-hitting moment for Britain’s HS2 project, which could mean the end of the line for northerners. And “your old meter could catch fire” – why British Gas might be regretting its latest email to customers. Producer: Eve Streeter Editor: Sarah Teasd...
Sep 26, 2023•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss why parts of an ecosystem of powerful men right at the top of social media are supporting Russell Brand in the wake of the allegations of sexual assault against him. They assess the departure of BP’s chief executive Bernard Looney and the implications for one of the UK's most iconic companies. And Simon draws on his experience at Buckingham Palace and Number 10 to shed light on Britain's 'golden triangle' and the relationship between the top of the civil ser...
Sep 19, 2023•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis lift the bonnet on the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as they watch the week’s biggest PR disasters unfold. In each episode our hosts go behind the scenes of the latest news stories and find out how, where and when it all began to hit the fan. In this episode, David and Simon discuss Elon Musk and how to manage the PR of the world’s most powerful people. What was the most unexpected “sorry not sorry” interview of the week - Liz Truss or Luis Rubiales? And...
Sep 12, 2023•28 min
David Yelland and Simon Lewis lift the bonnet on the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as they watch the week’s biggest PR disasters unfold. In each episode, David and Simon go behind the scenes of the latest news stories and find out how, where and when it all began to hit the fan. When It Hits The Fan is hosted by two of the most influential and experienced people in the game. David Yelland is the former editor of The Sun and alongside him is Simon Lewis, who was head of communications...
Sep 05, 2023•28 min
Step inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors, as David Yelland and Simon Lewis watch the week’s biggest PR disasters unfold.
Sep 01, 2023•2 min
