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When It Hits the Fan: Daily Summaries Delivered
by BBC Radio 4
Inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as David Yelland and Simon Lewis 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. 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, former trouble-shooter for the Queen and Gordon Brown, as well as for major corporations like the Nat West, Vodafone and British Gas. Together they bring decades of experience in both creating and managing crises. They'll share all they know about what's keeping those big stories in and out of the news.
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- 2 weeks ago26 min
PR's Rich Tapestry
If PR is all about weaving great stories, then the Bayeux Tapestry might just be the perfect example.This week, David Yelland and Farzana Baduel celebrate the comms coup that was 1000 years in the making. The tapestry's arrival back in the UK was covered and celebrated in minute detail - with hype being generated from the most mundane details. The British Museum seems to have pulled off a public relations masterclass. But it comes as the museum is still battling to recover its reputation after a series of fan hitters.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, the resignation bombshell that's gone global. A Chinese project manager at Alibaba has quit - and she didn't just hand in a brief note explaining she'd serve her notice period. She wrote a 100 page tome that tore into her entire industry. Farzana and David discuss the reputational risks to both employer and employee.Also, the noble art of dressing up and poking fun at someone. Count Binface has garnered coverage across the world as he prepares to stand in the Clacton by-election. He's just the latest in a long line of people who've used the absurd as a very effective - not to mention cheap - way of landing their point. And the tricky thing is, it's often very hard to counter.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- 3 weeks ago24 min
Me Against the World
Whether you're a multimillionaire or the son of a King, sometimes it can still feel like everyone is out to get you.And so we turn to Nigel Farage and Prince Harry. Both are dealing with huge PR fallouts on which the dust is nowhere near settling.This week, David Yelland and Farzana Baduel discuss why even the most powerful people claim the whole world is against them. It's certainly a tried and tested PR tactic - painting yourself as the lone wolf, the outsider, you against the Establishment. It can help create a useful diversion to what the actual story is - a reframing of the narrative to tell the story you want to tell, as opposed to the media.It can illicit sympathy - but it can also just look like moaning.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- 4 weeks ago33 min
Just Answer the Question
Public life would be an awful lot easier if you never had to answer questions from pesky journalists.Or would it?This week, David Yelland and Farzana Baduel look at Andy Burnham's decision to not take questions as he launched his vision for Britain, should he become the next Prime Minister.Pumping out your message on your own terms might sound like the PR dream - but the rapidly changing nature of comms in the age of AI means if you try and bypass traditional media, your message might sink without trace.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, will they or won't they? Harry is due to visit the UK with Meghan and his children next week. The King had offered them a royal estate to stay at. But suddenly there's briefing and counter briefing and the whole trip is up in the air. If they do come, there are PR pitfalls for both sides at every turn.Unlike Taylor Swift, whose PR seems pretty bulletproof. She's expected to get married this weekend - and she (and/or her PRs) are playing a blinder. Speculation and fan theory is running wild about the details and the venue. But as David and Farzana explain, there's a special kind of skill to this sort of rumour-mongering. Let's call it 'breadcrumbing'.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- Jun 24, 202625 min
King Charles, Tax and Transparency
Declaring your tax isn't straightforward, as anyone's who ever filled out their own return will know.King Charles probably has someone to help with the scraps of paper and receipts - but he'll still have to deal with a huge amount of scrutiny on becoming the first monarch to reveal their tax bill.This week, David and Farzana discuss why King Charles is going public - and why it was announced almost a week before the details are released. Are the public being softened up with talk of 'transparency' and 'accountability'? They explain that framing the narrative before a story breaks means you have more chance of creating a cushioning effect. On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, what's the PR takeout for Starbucks? The company's faced a huge backlash in South Korea after a marketing campaign seemingly referenced a historical military attack against pro-democracy protesters. How does something like that slip through the net? The finger of blame is being pointed at AI. But that only tells half the story.And after a deeply damaging few weeks, David and Farzana assess how one very public figure is seeking to rebuild their shattered reputation. It's not been easy but Sesame Street's Elmo seems to be winning back a few hearts and minds after his failure to fully come out in support of his home city's basketball team.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- Jun 17, 202627 min
Social Media Ban: Big Tech's 'Tobacco Moment'
The public is against you, politicians are against you and the emotional argument has been well and truly lost.Which is exactly where the likes of TikTok, Instagram and X find themselves following the Prime Minister's announcement that social media will be banned for under-16s.It's being described by some as big tech's 'tobacco moment'. This week, David and Farzana assess what these companies might do next - how can opinions be shifted, who can be used to make their case? And if stopping the ban outright is not the goal, what would success look like?On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, bricks and mortar PR. Just why are the rich and powerful so obsessed with slapping their names on buildings? As David and Farzana explain, it's a bit like the elite class sending bat signals to one another - 'look how well I'm doing'.Plus, Westminster Abbey's loss is very much Bridlington's gain. David Hockney turned down the offer of being buried alongside kings and queens. Instead, the artist opted for his final resting place to be the East Yorkshire seaside town, alongside his mother and sister. David and Farzana celebrate the wonderful reputational legacy he's left to Brid.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- Jun 10, 202627 min
Hunter Biden: Back from the Brink
When you're routinely described as a crackhead and convicted felon who uses sex workers, it's fair to say your reputation can't get much worse.And so we turn to Hunter Biden. Often labelled the 'black sheep' of the Biden family and a man who's been torn apart in the media.And yet, he is now being lauded (by some) for his attempts at reputational rehabilitation - including a blistering foray on X, where he's taken on his trolls head on. David and Farzana discuss whether going into the lions den is a smart PR move - and why, when you own your mistakes, use humour and honesty, you leave your critics with very little ammo.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, the multi-trillion dollar PR story being told right now. As Space X prepares to launch on the stock market (with Anthropic and OpenAI closely following behind), what moves are at play to try and get you to part with your cash? Plus, why sitting on the fence can be a really bad PR move. Just ask Elmo from Sesame Street. Famously from The Big Apple, he's infuriated fans of the New York Knicks basketball team for posting a message saying he hopes 'both teams have fun' in the NBA finals. As David and Farzana explain, he's guilty of 'bothsideism.' With the World Cup just around the corner, there's a lesson here for anyone in the public eye.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- Jun 3, 202633 min
BP v 'Shouty' Albert
When PR becomes the story, you know you're in trouble.And that's where BP finds itself right now - as the dust begins to settle after a tumultuous week for the company. David Yelland and Lauren Beeching unpick the drama - from the statement announcing the Chairman's shock sacking to the furious response from the man himself. They explain the PR mistakes made by both sides along the way - including creating a vacuum of information and, conversely, saying too much.And after all is said and done, who is the winner of this PR war?Also, on the extended edition on BBC Sounds, we're sticking with sacking. The world of redundancies has changed forever. Companies are now hiring crisis PR firms to manage the moment someone gets fired - because at a time where the person losing their job might have half a million TikTok followers, the old HR playbook just doesn't cut it anymore.And if you've been at the centre of a fan hitter, is it best to slink back to the shadows or try and stay firmly in the limelight? Rebekah Vardy's certainly taking the latter approach. Despite being publicly torn apart during the Wagatha Christie libel trial, she's now invited the cameras in for a new three-part ITV documentary. David and Lauren look at what this could mean for her reputation.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
- May 27, 202628 min
Lower Value Humans
Ever felt like your boss doesn't quite hold you in the highest esteem?Pity then, workers at Standard Chartered Bank. CEO Bill Winters described some of them as 'lower value human capital' during a speech to investors. His words came at a time when the bank is getting rid of thousands of positions and replacing them with AI.David and Farzana look at what happens when you say the quiet thing out loud - and what the repercussions are if you get your PR response all kinds of wrong.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, are 'dark forces' really trying to tarnish the late Queen's reputation? Recent revelations about how she lobbied for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to get a trade envoy job could be just the start of an attempt to gradually unpick her legacy.Also, big shout out to the GC. That's Gemma Collins, mega-influencer and former star of The Only Way is Essex. The Department for Education is facing a huge backlash for using her to try and persuade young people to stay in education. David and Farzana explain that the use of influencers in politics is a growing thing - but just chasing their millions of followers doesn't guarantee success. There's an art to getting it right.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4
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About When It Hits the Fan
Inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as David Yelland and Simon Lewis 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. 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, former trouble-shooter for the Queen and Gordon Brown, as well as for major corporations like the Nat West, Vodafone and British Gas. Together they bring decades of experience in both creating and managing crises. They'll share all they know about what's keeping those big stories in and out of the news.
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