When It Hits the Fan

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BBC Radio 4 FM

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When It Hits the Fan Podcast

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: Politics

News

Who's in the news for all the wrong reasons? With David Yelland and Simon Lewis.

Inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as David Yelland and Simon Lewis watch the week's biggest PR disasters unfold.

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.

BBC Radio 4 LW

When It Hits the Fan: NatWest’s Alison Rose, Unilever and I’m a Celebrity...

NatWest’s Alison Rose, Unilever and I’m a Celebrity...

BBC Radio 4 - When It Hits the Fan, NatWest’s Alison Rose, Unilever and I’m a Celebrity...

David and Simon discuss NatWest’s Alison Rose, Unilever and I’m a Celebrity...

David and Simon discuss the battle to save the reputation of NatWest former CEO Alison Rose, Unilever’s social purpose, and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - is it ever good PR?

David Yelland and Simon Lewis assess the endgame around former CEO Alison Rose’s departure from NatWest. With a forensic PR eye they return to the scene of her fan-hitting moment at a charity dinner where she sat next to the BBC business editor Simon Jack. What tricks of the trade do communications people have up their sleeves to avoid a PR disaster like this one? And how will the debate around Alison Rose’s pay-out affect her reputation? 

The consumer giant Unilever is in the news for apparently rolling back on its social purpose. Having spent years leading the way for sustainable business, was it all just PR, or was it real? How far are the culture wars derailing Unilever’s values? 

And as speculation builds around the line-up for the next series of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, David and Simon discuss whether going into the jungle can ever be classed as good PR.

Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Researcher: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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When It Hits the Fan

NatWest’s Alison Rose, Unilever and I’m a Celebrity...

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