When It Hits the Fan

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 use of publicity smear campaigns?

And - just what was behind the UK's biggest energy company warning about low levels of gas storage during the coldest week of the winter?

Producer: Eve Streeter

Quick Wins is our how-to guide to personal PR from the When It Hits the Fan team. David Yelland and Simon Lewis share their expert advice on how to navigate the working world like a pro. In these special short episodes, you'll lots of useful tips that might just change your working life – and it’ll only take a few minutes.

In this episode David and Simon answer a listener's question on how to leave a job when you've only just started. They explain how to tactfully u-turn and quit before anyone notices.

Producer: Ella Blaxill

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 and Simon answer a listener's question on how to use storytelling when presenting to your boss. They run us through their dos and don'ts when it comes to telling stories and presenting like a pro.

Producer: Ella Blaxill

Quick Wins is our how-to guide to personal PR from the When It Hits the Fan team. David Yelland and Simon Lewis share their expert advice on how to navigate the working world like a pro. In these special short episodes, you'll lots of useful tips that might just change your working life – and it’ll only take a few minutes.

In this episode they discuss how to recover from embarrassment at work. Mastering the art of the apology is key and remember, it may feel like the end of the world but no one's thinking about it as much as you are.

Producer: Ella Blaxill

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the use of 'royal sources' in Prince Andrew's China crises and reflect on the big ideas that have shaped our world in 2024. What are the common themes that might help us understand and navigate our increasingly uncertain world a bit better?

They discuss how the Royal Family is the canary in the PR mine when it comes to dealing with the coming era of algorithms that work to channel negativity and disinformation, as well as the consequences of social media algorithms for all of us.

What does this mean for what happens next in 2025? How best to get a clear message out in a polluted ocean of information? In our changing world, the enduring power of storytelling and connection will be needed more than ever.

Producer: Eve Streeter

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 on how to make sure you emerge with only good stories to tell.

Producer: Sophie Smith

David Yelland and Simon Lewis assess one of the biggest fan-hitters in the history of the media industry - Rupert Murdoch’s failure to win the legal battle to control who takes the reins of his media empire. What does this defeat mean for the world’s most famous media mogul and his legacy?

Also, in the wake of the shocking, fatal shooting of healthcare executive Brian Thompson in New York and the online reaction to it, how might this tragic event reshape the way business leaders relate to the world?

And – when Disney CEO Bob Iger says he’s up at 4am, should we take notes? Why do so many business leaders go public with their early-bird morning routines?

Producer: Eve Streeter

David Yelland and Simon Lewis take a 360 degree look at the Gregg Wallace/MasterChef crisis. They examine the errors of Wallace’s ways after one particularly ill-advised – or possibly unadvised – social media video post. What are the implications of the surfacing allegations for Banijay, the low-profile but hugely wealthy production company behind MasterChef, and the BBC?

Also, following Australia's ban on social media for the under 16s, how big tech is using ‘cynicism PR’ in an attempt to stop a worldwide trend.

And, is Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey a PR genius or is he damaging his political image? David and Simon debate the merits of the politician’s social media presence as he releases his debut Christmas single.

Producer: Eve Streeter

Jaguar’s rebrand video has sent the internet into meltdown, and the insults are piling up. The car manufacturer’s wildly uncharacteristic advert has even tempted Elon Musk into the conversation. David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the PR strategy Jaguar might be employing and whether they’ll come out of this unscathed.

Also, how the late Lord John Prescott managed to navigate a lifetime of fan-hitters to go down in political history as a legend.

And, how and why has the lure of reality TV captured former Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg?

Producer: Eve Streeter

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