When It Hits the Fan

Is it time for the business world to enter the great public debates of our time - and is it bad PR if you don’t? Its absence has left a vacuum for misinformation to spread and CEOs like Greg Jackson from Octopus Energy are stepping up.

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss this, as well as a fascinating crisis at ice-cream makers Ben & Jerrys and big pharma in the wake of Robert Kennedy Jr's nomination as the next US health secretary.

Also - what does the exodus from Elon Musk’s X to Bluesky mean for the way we all communicate, and how companies communicate with us?

And Coleen Rooney’s PR coup. What the I’m a Celebrity star can teach the communications great and good about how to get your message across.

Producer: Eve Streeter

In his first presidency, Donald Trump vowed to “drain the swamp of Washington DC” - PR agents and all. So, how can a second Trump presidency possibly look promising for PR? David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss how change can create opportunity.

In this episode they explore how Trump’s return to office might impact business both in the US and abroad, how powerful players go about influencing the new president and what does money (lots of it) have to do with it all?

Also, how condescending criticism isn’t a good look. David and Simon address the hostile review of hit series Rivals by the producer of Wolf Hall.

Producer: Eve Streeter

In this special episode, David Yelland and Simon Lewis let When It Hits the Fan listeners set the agenda and answer questions sent in to the Fan postbag.

They discuss the truth - when to tell it, and when to hide it. If fly-on-the-wall television comes calling will it always result in good publicity for you? And how far does PR drive the news agenda?

Also, from Queen Camilla to Boy George, what are the best reputation comebacks? And, "as I was just saying to Bono...", does namedropping really oil the wheels of the PR industry?

If you have a PR question of your own to send the Fan team, go to WhatsApp and text the word “Fan” to 03700 100 444. Then start a new message with your question either as a text or a recorded voice note, or text your question by SMS to 84844. Full details are on the When It Hits The Fan BBC contact page.

Producer: Eve Streeter

David Yelland and Simon Lewis lift the lid on the rarely talked about world of establishment PR and the great battle for influence happening behind the scenes in modern Britain. It’s why Peter Mandelson, William Hague and 36 other hopefuls are all vying to be the next Chancellor of Oxford University.

Also, how the new CEO of Starbucks is trying to reverse a recent decline in sales with the help of some back-to-basics internal communications.

And the great cheese heist… how taking the financial hit for the theft of £300,000 worth of posh cheddar has given Neal’s Yard Dairy a PR boost.

Producer: Eve Streeter

In the wake of the death of the One Direction star Liam Payne, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the role of protection in PR. Advisers are often the first people to know about a problem, and the first to try to fix it. Could celebrity publicists learn something about duty of care from the world of corporate PR? David and Simon talk fame, addiction and the importance of creating private space.

Also, the FA has walked into an apparent PR own goal appointing a German head coach to manage the England men’s football team. Why is leaning into a short-term tabloid burial sometimes the smartest move?

And, following the release of the new Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice – how to manage your client’s PR when Hollywood comes knocking.

Producer: Eve Streeter

David and Simon discuss Kamala Harris’s interview on the hit US podcast Call Her Daddy. What can British politicians and business leaders learn about the power of being three-dimensional and opening up?

Also, it’s a game of two halves – the PR behind the football civil war that is Manchester City versus the Premier League.

And the LinkedIn job status update. To varnish, or not to varnish?

Producer: Eve Streeter

Why does Keir Starmer need to start taking people behind the Number 10 bikesheds and having a quiet word? David Yelland and Simon Lewis explain 'bikeshed PR' and how to move a news story on.

Also, knowing when to step back and call your PR battle a day is not always easy, as the ongoing Strictly Come Dancing fan-hitter shows. What can we learn from this and the returning saga of Wagatha Christie?

And, the email you didn't mean to send.... David and Simon share tales of their personal gaffes and how best to deal with them.

Producer: Eve Streeter

Is there such a thing as too much good PR? It seems everyone is talking about the weight-loss drug Ozempic - David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at why might this be causing jitters in the company boardroom.

Also, Phillip Schofield’s desert island TV return - will the "last roll of the dice” PR strategy work for him, or is Hillary Clinton's 1992 interview alongside her under-fire husband a cautionary tale?

And with the release of the drama series A Very Royal Scandal, David and Simon look at how PR people are portrayed on film and TV. Useless, posh, drunk or sinister - is it myth, or is it reality?

Producer: Eve Streeter

Following the BBC investigation into Mohamed Al Fayed, David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the circle of reputational protection that existed around the former Harrods boss and allowed him to commit serial sexual abuse for so long and get away with it.

Also, inside the Murdoch family's succession feud and the importance the results could have on the political state of global media.

Producer: Eve Streeter

David and Simon discuss Huw Edwards, Strictly Come Dancing and the BBC in crisis. How is the corporation dealing with being in the news for all the wrong reasons?

Plus, “They’re eating the dogs, they're eating the cats” - is the global mockery following Donald Trump’s pet-eating accusations in his TV debate with Kamala Harris a PR disaster for the former president?

And what is the elephant in the room? Let’s talk about why the unmentionable is often at the heart of PR.

Producer: Eve Streeter