When It Hits the Fan

In the good old days, if you wanted some favourable PR for a client, you could call up a journalist and take them out for a jolly good lunch. It's not so easy when the thing you're trying to influence is a bot. So is it possible to spin the likes of ChatGPT?This week David Yelland is joined by Lauren Beeching - a crisis management expert with clients that count their followers in millions.They discuss how AI is changing so much of the nuts and bolts of the PR reputation game - from having to become a tech wizard to work out if 'evidence' is real, to understanding how to influence what AI chatbots say. And on the extended edition on BBC Sounds, the Fan Hitter that almost broke the internet is back. The woman at the centre of the Coldplay KissCam scandal, Kristin Cabot, has done a big interview with Oprah - and discusses the PR advice she was given.She claims she was told, "Stay quiet, everything will blow over in three days."Hindsight is a wonderful thing.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

When your country's PR plan relies on the projection of safety and security, how do you keep that image alive when you're under attack?This week, David Yelland is joined by global PR expert Farzana Baduel to examine how countries in the Gulf have managed their comms since the start of the war in Iran.In Dubai especially, social media influencers have been used as foot soldiers in the reputation battle. But has the relentlessly on-brand, 'we feel safe' messaging been successful? David and Farzana explain why it depends which end of the PR telescope you're looking through.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Getting your message out is obviously a cornerstone of PR. But where you put that message is becoming even more important.This week, David Yelland is joined by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty from the BBC podcast Fame Under Fire. Together they look at the challenge for big institutions - especially the Royal Family - of cutting through. You may think you've been successful if your story gets pick up in all the traditional places - but has anyone under-35 even seen it? They discuss the need to populate the places beyond your traditional base, to get beyond your echo chamber - and the need to interact rather than just pumping out one-way comms.As Anoushka says, 'Do the boring thing in the most interesting way possible.'Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

When you’re in a crisis, you discover very quickly who your friends are. Or perhaps more accurately, who your friends aren’t.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis examine how different types of friends are deployed to the PR front line when it comes to reputational combat.When you can't defend yourself in public, you need the right sort in your corner. But not all friends are equal. There's the named friend, the unnamed friend and the showbiz favourite - 'close friend of the couple'.And David and Simon reveal there are often PR campaigns going on behind-the-scenes to ensure the best calibre of friend is speaking up - and why a 'source', a 'spokesperson' and a 'friend' might actually be the same person.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, a moment of indulgence as When it Hits the Fan reaches its 100th episode. David and Simon explain what's surprised them about the world of PR since the show started - and why they've had to think differently about the world they move in. Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

How do you fight a PR battle when everyone's already decided you're the bad guys?That's the problem facing the water industry on the eve of a new Channel 4 factual drama called Dirty Business. The clue is in the title. It focuses on a 10-year investigation into sewage-polluted waters.Sticking to the facts is a basic rule of PR - but when coming up against raw anger and emotion, do you need more than facts? How do you appeal to hearts as well as minds?On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, PR itself is in the dock. Two firms have found themselves making rather than shaping the news in recent weeks - over the Epstein files and allegations of trying to journalists. Put mildly, the companies involved have a battle on their hands to protect their own reputations. David and Simon explain why.And if you think Heathrow is too crowded, you're very much mistaken. According to the CEO of the airport, it's simply because people are 'walking in the wrong places'. He might have a point, but the problem is, if you say something that sounds ridiculous, it doesn't matter how right you are - you're wrong.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Some jobs just can't be done. Circumstances, events and a changing world simply make them undoable.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis ask whether one such job is communicating on behalf of the Prime Minister. Not just this Prime Minister, but any Prime Minister.After only five months, the PM's Director of Communications, Tim Allan has quit. He's the fourth person to hold the role under Sir Keir Starmer. The old levers of PR clearly aren't working and there seems to be a general bafflement has to how to get the public onboard.Put simply, is Downing Street now beyond PR?On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, how Buckingham Palace is rapidly changing its PR game. Widely criticised for being too slow to react to the scandal around Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the Palace is going on the front foot - with two statements that would've been inconceivable just months ago. Plus there's nothing like a formal letter from the Government to put you in the mood for love. That's the hope anyway. In France, all 29-year-olds are being written to - to remind them of their duty to have babies. As you might expect, there's been something of a backlash.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

How close is the Palace to being sucked into the Epstein reputational black hole - again?In this episode David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss the latest revelations from the Epstein files about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Can a reputation ever be so utterly ‘nuked’ that there is no coming back and anyone close gets sucked in? What is the Royal Family's PR calculus to avoid the gravity pull of the Epstein PR black hole? On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, David and Simon look at another man in a PR black hole, Lord Mandelson. Is it really the end of the road for the king of spin, or can the ultimate political survivor find a way out? Also, the Sunday Times Tax List and why being one of the UK’s biggest tax payers is good PR. Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It started with a bombshell but the aftershocks are only just getting started.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis ask whether David and Victoria Beckham's seemingly bulletproof brand is under threat. The cause is of course the incredibly emotional social media outburst from their son, Brooklyn.Theirs is a brand built on family - so what are the PR challenges when threads start to unravel? And crucially, what say will the money men have about how the Beckham's handle the fallout? On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, where best to see where the worlds of PR, power and business collide than Davos? Simon spent the week there and reveals what's really going on behind-the-scenes. It's certainly not as glamorous as you might think. Plus, how to take on Elon Musk and win. Ryanair's Michael O'Leary delivered a PR masterclass as the two men had a very public spat - using a killer blend of humour and facts. It seems to have done wonders for the airline's business - and given us a timely reminder of how to use your opponent's strength against them. Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Reputations supposedly take years to build and seconds to destroy. But what if that's no longer the case? What if the normal rules about earning - and keeping - a reputation simply don't apply any more.This week, David Yelland is joined by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, from the BBC podcast Fame Under Fire. Together, they venture into some distinctly dubious corners of the internet to see how public opinion is really being shaped.Examining the trial of rapper Diddy, they explain how he may have actually benefitted from the wild accusations being made about him on social media before the case came to court - and how his PR team realised they could capitalise on the fact he was being portrayed as the Devil. On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, David and Anoushka look at how the PR world might want to take some tips from Candace Owens - however unpalatable that may seem.The right-wing influencer promotes conspiracy theories and has repeatedly made claims about Brigitte Macron being born a male. The Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit against her.But Candace Owens has millions of followers and arguably influences more people than many newspapers, news channels or politicians. It's why Anoushka describes her as a 'personal PR powerhouse' - and explains that whatever you think of her, the way she spreads her message should be closely examined - and followed.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

When everything's going really well, there's always a lurking fear that it can't possibly last.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at how the discussion around weight-loss injections is suddenly, subtly shifting. New research suggests that once you come off them, you put weight back on faster than if you'd shed the pounds in a more traditional way.The findings dominated the news agenda.So is the PR worm ever so slightly turning? David and Simon discuss what happens when a product leaves the ordinary world of day-to-day business and becomes something far bigger - something talked about by everyone.What's crucial is being able to look far enough down the track to see what pitfalls may lay ahead.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, we're talking black gold. Or rather, how the big oil firms are dealing with President Trump - especially after he claimed he'd briefed them before the US raid to capture Venezuela's President Maduro.David and Simon look at the skills required to PR an oil firm - and why they're more like states than businesses. They'll also explain why big tech has a lot to learn from how oil runs its communications.Also, there is a traitor in our midst - and she's a head of comms. It's no spoiler to say Rachel is one of the stars of the latest series of The Traitors. But what dark and mysterious PR genius is she bringing to the show to make her so successful? Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Call it smoke and mirrors, call it sleight of hand. The best PR is often invisible PR.In this latest episode of our mini-series on the Golden Rules of PR, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the risks of showing your workings.Increased transparency is admirable in many cases - but beware of just how much you reveal.A great example from 2025 was the Heathrow Airport crisis. A power outage caused the airport to shut down - and it quickly became known that Heathrow's CEO was asleep when the decision to close the airport was made. There may have been very good reasons for him not to be awake but the optics were terrible.Creating an illusion is part of the PR toolbox - you're trying to persuade people to come on a journey with you. If, like in the Wizard of Oz, the curtain is pulled back and the artifice crumbles, it could mean game over.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Most of us are guilty of it. A problem looms or a crisis kicks off and the knee-jerk reaction is often to ignore it and hope it goes away.Newsflash - it rarely does.In this latest episode of our mini-series on PR's Golden Rules, David Yelland and Simon Lewis explain why doing something is usually better than doing nothing.Two great examples from 2025 involve the BBC and the Royal Family. Both faced enormous crises - both faced accusations of not saying or doing the right thing quickly enough.David and Simon explain the perils of being paralysed by group-think in such situations and the difficulties of making yourself heard when you know you've got a solution. And sometimes you have to accept that there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer - but you just have to say something.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

This episode will change your life. Seriously.It's a big claim and carries an enormous risk of over-promising.Welcome to the latest episode in our mini-series on the Golden Rules of PR. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the risks of rolling the pitch - of laying the PR groundwork - for a forthcoming announcement.As the Chancellor Rachel Reeves found out in the run up to the Budget, trying to manage expectations can seriously backfire. But we all do it - we try to soften people up ahead of delivering some tricky news. David and Simon explain why there are very sensible reasons for doing this.The problem is - if you say what's going to happen and people react badly - how do you change your plans without being accused of making a U-turn?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It may be the season to be jolly but there's not a lot of good cheer going around at the moment. With so much unrelentingly bleak news, how do you persuade anyone that not everything's as bad as it seems? This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the power of optimism. It's not just a useful PR tool, it's vital. When optimism is authentic, it can inspire and be incredibly infectious. The trouble is, it can also feel totally out of step with people's own experiences.That's why it's such a tricky PR balancing act. You want to take people with you but not make them think you're living in a dream world.When people are crying out for good news, David and Simon look at why the phrase 'positive spin' is almost always used in a derogatory way - even though the very last thing you want is a pessimistic PR team.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, who's on the list and who isn't? The PR minefield that is Christmas cards. David and Simon discuss whether the festive staple is still a good way of judging where you sit in the business and social firmament.Should you send cards to all your contacts, should they each get a personalised message - and if someone suddenly stops sending one to you, what are you supposed to think? And given the cost of postage - how do you decide who is really worth the price of a stamp?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: William Miller Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It's panto season and panto villains don't come much bigger than Simon Cowell.The music mogul's made a career and fortune playing the Bad Guy on TV talent shows. But is there more to him - and crucially, is it good PR for him to show a different side?This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis wade through the blizzard of publicity created ahead of Simon Cowell's latest show - to piece together a PR jigsaw that hints at his attempts to stay relevant while also offering glimpses into his world that he may not have intended.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, what happens when a CEO goes missing in action? The good people of Tunbridge Wells are once again disgusted - following a drinking water crisis in the spa town. And their mood has not been helped by the boss of South Eastern Water, David Hinton, refusing to give any interviews. If the buck stops with you, do you have a duty to show your face in public - or can there be very good reasons for staying invisible when everything is going wrong?Also, what is going on at HSBC? There's a distinct whiff of chaos around the search for a new CEO. George Osborne had been heavily touted, only for the job to be given to a 76-year-old internal candidate who, by all accounts, might not be hanging around for long. Given it's one of the most prestigious roles in global finance, where is the succession planning? And what does all this confusion at the top mean for the bank's reputation?Producer: Duncan MIddleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve StreeterMusic by Eclectic Sounds. A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4.

It's not easy winning a PR fight when you're up against three octogenarian nuns whose story has become a global smash.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the case of Sister Bernadette, Sister Regina and Sister Rita. They ran away from the care home they'd been sent to and broke back into the Austrian convent where they'd lived for more than 60 years. In the process, they've gained huge support on social media.Now, they've been told they can stay at the convent - so long as they stop posting online. The nuns and their hundreds of thousands of followers aren't happy.David and Simon explain why harnessing authentic, joyful, grassroots support is the PR holy grail - and why it's almost impossible to counter. It almost doesn't matter what the Church authorities say or do. The facts are no longer important if people have already decided who is in the right and wrong. On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, there's the distinct whiff of crisis at Campbell's. Its CEO has had to go on the record to insist the chicken used in its soups is "not made with a 3D printer". This follows a secret recording of a senior member of staff, who seemingly said the opposite during a long rant about the company. The claim is clearly nonsense so David and Simon look at whether Campbell's reaction is proportionate - or whether we now live in a world where a company has to respond, no matter how ludicrous a claim seems.Keeping your customers happy is of course vital in any business. Which brings us to Turkish Airlines. It's facing accusations of poor treatment after the former BBC correspondent, Mark Mardell, was told he wasn't allowed to board a flight because of his Parkinson's. David and Simon examine the response - or lack of - from Turkish Airlines and explain why getting ahead of a PR problem is absolutely crucial.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Imagine being able to read the private emails sent between some of the most powerful people on the planet. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis do exactly that. The release of thousands of pages from the so-called Epstein files shows the ways in which the elite communicate with each other. The exchanges reveal what one New York Times columnist describes as the 'nomadic bat signals' the rich send the rich. Epstein's criminality and cruelty are already crystal clear - but the legacy of these emails tells us so much more about the times we're living in.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, a scandal threatening the reputation of a very British institution. The former CEO of Lloyd's of London, John Neal, has had his multi-million pound job offer with AIG rescinded - over claims of a workplace affair. Did Lloyd's do enough to investigate the matter - and does the case undo all the positive PR Lloyd's has received for trying to reform behaviour within the company?Also, insert your own joke about weird handshakes. The Freemasons are making a fresh attempt to become more transparent. The 600 meeting halls of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are throwing open their doors to public guided tours. It's all part of an effort to be more 'inclusive' and 'engaging'. But what if secrecy is part of your selling point? If you lose the mystique, what have you got left?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

When a top job becomes available, there very soon follows a list of potential 'runners and riders'. But how do you get your name on it? And how do you get your name off it?This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis reveal the PR secrets of The List. Whether it's the BBC, HSBC or Apple, there are suddenly lots of big names being touted around for some very serious jobs.But there are PR traps along the way. Being seen as the frontrunner doesn't always end well - and if you didn't put your name forward, who did and what are they playing at?And when it comes to these lists, there is sometimes great value in not appearing on them at all.On the extended edition on BBC Sounds - Penguin PR. David and Simon look at the campaign to get 15 Gentoo penguins released from London Aquarium. The owner, Merlin Entertainments, has pledged to listen to 'constructive ideas' about how best to care for the animals. But has the company already lost the argument?Also, when someone says AI will "evolve and transition certain jobs", what do they really mean? Especially when that someone is the head of Google's parent firm, Alphabet. Sundar Pichai sits at the top of company valued at more than $3tn - so when he says he's worried about the AI bubble bursting and the effect it'll have on every company, it's probably worth paying close attention to his choice of words.Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

"They make really stupid basic mistakes and they are hopeless at PR."If you're a podcast about PR, then that quote - made about the BBC this week - is a good place to start when assessing the reputation of the Corporation. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis examine the crisis engulfing the BBC. One which began with a leaked memo, resulted in two huge resignations and now has President Trump threatening to sue for $1bn.How did we get here and did the BBC make some cardinal PR mistakes along the way?Maybe the BBC could do with putting in a call to the man dubbed 'Drastic Dave'. On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, David and Simon look at the risks and rewards of parachuting a 'superstar CEO' into a struggling company. In this case, it's Dave Lewis - who's now tasked with turning round drinks business Diageo. The company has seen an immediate bounce in its value, but how long can that PR honeymoon period last?And what happens if you need to get hold of your CEO - superstar or otherwise - but they're not picking up? The answer, according to the boss of Heathrow, is to give them an extra loud phone. Thomas Woldbye says that's what he's now got - after sleeping through several alerts when the airport was hit by a huge power failure back in March. David and Simon recall moments from their own careers when they had to decide if, when and how to wake the boss. Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4

It was barely a fortnight - but in that time everything seemed to change.This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the dramatic way Buckingham Palace responded to the growing crisis over the then-Prince Andrew. Going from an initial statement that seemed - to many - to get almost everything wrong to a second statement that went further than almost anyone was expecting.Behind-the-scenes, just what was going on for the Royal comms team? What powers were at play, how was there such a gulf between the two statements and just how hard is it to react quickly when working for an institution as unwieldy as the Royal Family?On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, we're on patrol with the 'Pleasure Police'. Well, that's who the gambling industry has in its sights as it fights to stop the sector being hit with higher taxes. But David and Simon think it's a particularly old fashioned type of PR campaign - complete with backing from The Sun and a slogan to Save Our Bets. With the Budget looming large, they examine whether these campaigns ever work.And what price loyalty? John Lewis is making a fresh attempt to lure members into its flagship store - with the promise of free fizz, nibbles and arm massages. But beyond the pampering, how hard is it for brands and businesses to secure loyalty - and what are the reputational risks if you have to withdraw or adapt those perks?Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor: Sarah Teasdale Executive Producer: Eve Streeter Music by Eclectic Sounds A Raconteur Studios production for BBC Radio 4