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PODCAST

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

news politics

All Episodes

29:13

You're Banned!

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/05/28

It's that moment when a boss, a CEO or football manager goes all Peggy Mitchell and screams: 'You're Barred'. It might work in EastEnders but is it sensible in the world of PR? In this episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the motivations behind banning journalists. Is a ban just one big power play and does it ever achieve anything? And more importantly, are there darker arts that can be more effectively employed to freeze someone out?Also, in the extended episode on BBC Sounds, they'll be

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31:20

Robotaxis: Look, no hands!

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/05/21

How do you PR the future? That's the question David Yelland and Simon Lewis are wrestling with this week. As Uber says it's 'ready to go' with driverless cabs, can the British public be persuaded to jump in? How do you sell a vision? Also, in the extended edition on BBC Sounds, they look at Gary Lineker's departure from the BBC and the PR rules around staying silent or speaking out. And when is a gift not just a gift? Possibly when it's a $400m plane. David and Simon pull back the covers on the

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23:46

The Spy Who Leaked Me

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/05/14

Spying tends to be a fairly secretive game, for obvious reasons. So eyebrows have been quizzically raised (a bit like Roger Moore's 007) following the naming of the woman apparently favourite to become the new chief of MI6. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis explore the murky world of leaks. Who benefits from them, why are they done and just how damaging can they be?They'll explain why leaking is far from victimless and reveal their own experiences of turning on the news and realising someone

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24:02

Prince Harry's bombshell interview

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/05/07

As far as royal interviews go, it'll take some beating. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis sift through Prince Harry's BBC interview - and discuss whether it's a PR disaster. They discuss what sort of advice Harry is being given and why, when it comes to doing a big interview, the golden rule is 'never go in hot'.Listen to the full extended version on BBC Sounds, where David and Simon also look at how Marks & Spencer responded to a cyber attack - and why saying nothing can sometimes be the

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24:35

PR is a virus

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/04/30

What if your profession is to blame for almost everything? This week, David Yelland is joined from Washington by PR guru Phil Elwood - who thinks the industry needs to take a long hard look at itself.Accusing PR of being like a virus, Phil says the tricks of the trade that have been used for decades to influence, mislead and cajole have been co-opted by both the media and by governments. And the results aren't pretty.Producer: Duncan MiddletonEditor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William

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29:04

China's meme warfare, rats and rockets

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/04/23

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the global battle for hearts, minds and reputations between the US and China. Following JD Vance calling the people of China peasants, how far is China's retaliatory social media PR strategy seeking to embarrass America, or is the United States damaging its own reputation all by itself? Plus - Birmingham's rat problem, Signal chat leaks and what's been dubbed 'the biggest PR disaster in the universe' - it's Jeff Bezos's rocket launch and why all great PR crises

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10:47

Quick Wins: How to avoid being typecast

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/04/15

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, they share their advice on how to avoid being taken for granted at work. If you feel like you're the office dogsbody, David and Simon have some great advice for

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10:43

Quick Wins: How to deal with redundancies

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/04/08

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 they share their advice on how bosses and HR departments should best deal with making people redundant. Managing expectations and compassion are key. And remember,

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20:29

The truth about ‘no comment,’ managing expectations...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/04/01

In this special episode David Yelland and Simon Lewis answer PR questions sent in by When It Hits the Fan listeners. First off, they are just two little words but they carry a lot of meaning... why 'no comment' can be both a good and bad thing to say - and what you might be able to say as an alternative.Also, they have some great tips for how to deal with a boss who's demanding national coverage despite having nothing newsworthy to report.There's advice for small charities on how to get your message

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26:26

Heathrow special: inside the crisis

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/03/25

In this special episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis unpick the PR levers being pulled behind the Heathrow airport shutdown caused by a fire at a local power substation – which left 300,000 passengers stranded, 1,300 flights cancelled and its CEO in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.Was it wise to let it be known that CEO Thomas Woldbye was asleep when the decision was made to shut the airport? Or was it a leak?In any crisis there is always a blame game - who are the winners and losers

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28:24

Thames Water’s PR gamble, Tesla backlash and...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/03/18

Letting the cameras go behind the scenes of a company is always a risky strategy - but did it pay off for Thames Water? David Yelland and Simon Lewis assess whether BBC2's Thames Water: Inside the Crisis is a PR victory or a PR disaster for the much maligned utility. The frontline staff emerge as heroes, but is the real story being told? Also, how bad PR can kill a business - will the Tesla brand survive being tainted by Elon Musk? And how Prince William is using Aston Villa and football as soft

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28:19

Carney’s Canada v Trump, Abrdn’s U-turn and...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/03/11

Across the world reputations are being set by how leaders react to Donald Trump, including those of Keir Starmer and the King. Now Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, has seen his standing transformed by his "elbow’s up" anti-Trump stance. But in the country’s upcoming election, the Canadian question will be binary – who is the best candidate to deal with Trump’s America? Plus Abrdn’s reverse ferret and the decision by the investment company to return all its missing vowels following a widely

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28:07

Trump, Zelensky, the King and Mummy Pig

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/03/04

In the wake of Donald Trump's decision to pause all US aid to Ukraine, David Yelland and Simon Lewis reflect on the breakdown in the relations between presidents Trump and Zelensky. How far was his humiliation in the Oval Office press huddle orchestrated in the Trumpian echo chamber? Was deploying the stabilising effect of the King both before and after that car crash press conference the wisest use of royal PR in decades? Also - how toy giant Hasbro managed to interrupt the global crisis to

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28:23

PR in the disinformation bubble, Mandelson’s doorstep...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/02/25

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss how best to navigate the 'disinformation bubble' that appears to be parked over Washington DC. Could business take a lead from the media on drawing lines in the sand?Following Peter Mandelson's apparently off-the-cuff remark that Donald Trump's speech, in which he called Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator, was "interesting", what's the best way to deal with uninvited questions from a reporter? Is silence always golden? And, how long should people who've held

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28:16

BP’s PR battle, Jamie Dimon’s rant, and two men and a...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/02/18

David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the £75billion PR battle currently waging between BP - one of the UK's biggest companies - and American activist investors who say it’s too weak and too woke. Also, the world’s top banker is caught ranting about work-from-home GenZers. Is it good PR or bad PR? And will the claim from conservative influencer Ashley St Clair that Elon Musk is the father of her baby derail his White House bromance with President Donald Trump? Do such 'scandals' matter in the US

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28:16

Inside the woke war room, puff quote PR and WhatsApp...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/02/11

David Yelland and Simon Lewis take you inside the woke war rooms in which some of the world’s biggest companies have been sitting these last few weeks with their PR teams, working out whether to abandon their diversity, equity and inclusion programmes following Donald Trump’s ban. With net zero and US foreign aid also coming under the umbrella of what Elon Musk calls the 'woke mind virus’, is the war on woke the great PR distraction trick of our time? Also, 'Illuminating and electrifying!' Are book

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28:09

Rachel Reeves’ PR pivot, how to talk to Trump and...

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/02/04

How do you PR a pivot and change the mood music as a politician? David Yelland and Simon Lewis take a look at the language Rachel Reeves is deploying as she tries to go for growth and what might lie behind the timing of AstraZeneca scrapping its UK vaccine plant.Also, the split that divides the world's PR elite - the political and business world is having to decide whether to follow Donald Trump's language or resist it, kowtow or fight. How do we all talk to America now?And a PR take on the

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28:16

Inside the Sun's historic apology to Prince Harry

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/01/28

In a rare, open and frank discussion, David Yelland and Simon Lewis go behind the scenes of The Sun newspaper's historic apology to Prince Harry, including for 'serious intrusion' by The Sun and unlawful activity by private investigators.There's no suggestion that any Sun journalist broke the law. But as a former editor of the paper during this time, what light can David shed on practices at Rupert Murdoch's company then - the use of private investigators and oversight of this, questioning sources,

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28:28

Power and influence in the (medieval) court of Trump

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/01/21

In the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration, David Yelland and Simon Lewis decode what it means for how the 47th US president does business. For the tech billionaires in the court of King Donald, as in the days of yore, proximity to power is key. The court can be a risky place if your king is capricious, so stay close, give him what he wants and prove your loyalty – and hope you can still look yourself in the mirror.Also, what TikTok, crypto and the PR tactic of “flooding the zone” reveal about how

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28:34

California in crisis and is the UK running out of gas?

When It Hits the Fan ·

2025/01/14

As the LA wildfires continue to burn, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the challenge looming for US insurers that find themselves on the frontline of climate change communications - because it looks likely it's not the world's politicians who are going to explain to people the consequences of our warming planet, it's the insurance companies. Also, a fan-hitting Hollywood feud that has PR at the centre of it. What does the lawsuit between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reveal about the

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